BEREA, Ohio – Junior Daphne Alexander broke her own school record in the high jump at the Baldwin Wallace Sparky Adams Invitational on Saturday, while senior Hailey Carroll tied her own school record in the 800-meters to highlight the performances for the Geneva men's and women's track and field team. Many of Geneva's distance runners did not compete at the meet, which had 18 schools competing, including a couple Division I and Division II programs. In addition to the main squad at Baldwin Wallace, a few Golden Tornadoes competed at Slippery Rock on Thursday instead.
Alexander increased her record in the high jump by clearing 1.70 meters, which placed her second overall behind a Division I jumper from Akron. That height is currently tied for sixth best in NCAA Division III. Sophomore Olivia Seetoo cleared 1.55 meters in the high jump event, which placed her fifth.
Carroll tied her own school record in the 800-meters, and she edged out her competitors to grab the only first place finish for the Golden Tornadoes on Saturday. She finished the race in 2:15.60.
Freshman Titus Mathews set a personal best in the 400-meters with a time of 48.86 seconds. That time wasn't far off the school record and placed him second in front of multiple Division I and Division II runners. Freshman Tyler Boyle also placed in the event, finishing eight with a time of 50.08 seconds. Mathews also placed tenth in the 200-meters with a time of 22.93 seconds.
Sophomore Abe Konneh had another strong day in the sprints, placing fourth in the 100-meters with a time of 10.69 seconds, behind only three Division I runners.
The men also had a strong day in the jumps. Freshman Cooper Wilkins placed third in the triple jump with a distance of 12.93 meters, while freshman Amiri Copeland was right behind in fourth place with a jump of 12.91 meters. Graduate student Jack Garvin placed seventh in the triple with an effort of 12.11 meters, while senior Seth Tyson finished eighth with a jump of 11.95 meters.
Garvin also placed fourth in the high jump by clearing 1.90 meters, and he also finished ninth in the long jump at 6.45 meters. Copeland was a spot ahead of Garvin in the long jump with a distance of 6.55 meters. Freshman Nathan Bailey added an eighth-place finish in the pole vault, clearing 3.82 meters.
Freshman Eli Stargel had a good performance in the javelin, placing fifth with a throw of 43.07 meters, while freshman Ryan Kosydar placed fifth in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 57.83 seconds.
For the women, junior Kaelyn Hartman had a huge jump in the long jump with a personal best distance of 5.17 meters. She also placed sixth in the triple jump with a jump of 10.13 meters.
Senior Emily Garvin was the top Golden Tornado for the women in the throws, placing third in the javelin with a distance of 36.62
A pair of freshmen ran well in the 400-meter hurdles. Grace Hersch placed fifth with a time of 1:11.53, while Rachel Baird was right behind with a time of 1:11.78, good for seventh place.
One of only a handful of distance runners that ran was junior Jordann Hicks, and she placed fifth in the 3000-meter steeplechase with a time of 12:54.88. Sophomore Emma Thellman added an eighth-place finish in the pole vault, clearing 2.77 meters.
The women's top 4x400m relay team placed sixth with a time of 4:17.15. Hersch, senior Rowan Dennis and sophomores Sara Vos and Arionna White ran on the team. Vos also placed eighth in the 200-meters with a time of 26.35 seconds, and she finished tenth in the 100-meters with a time of 12.61 seconds. White added a tenth-place finish in the 200-meters with a time of 26.37 seconds.
Junior Isaac Nirella highlighted the four Golden Tornadoes who competed at Slippery Rock, placing third in the pole vault at 4.55 meters. Senior thrower Allison Standish also performed well, placing tenth in the hammer throw with a toss of 45.14 meters.
The track and field teams have just one meet left before the Outdoor PAC Championship meet, which will occur over two days on April 30-May 1 at West Virginia University. A limited number of Golden Tornadoes will compete next Friday at the Allegheny Marty Goldberg Invitational, while most athletes will likely take the meet off to prepare for the PAC Championship meet the following week.
Through purposeful learning in a community reflecting the full spectrum of God's kingdom, a Geneva College experience inspires students to discover a faith-life calling in service to God and neighbor. Offering 195+ traditional undergraduate majors and programs, fully online Adult Degree Programs and high-demand graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality and affordability. Geneva was founded and is governed by the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA) and is a founding member of both the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) and the International Association for Christian Education (IACE).
