Results
Swarthmore, PA - The competitions are getting less and less for the Falcons in 2012, with Messiah competing in the Swarthmore Last Chance Invitational on Monday of this week. As expected, the Falcons found themselves in the spotlight.
Among world class competition, including the silver medalist in the 1500m run from the 2008 Olympics in Bejing (Nick Willis) and several Olympic hopefuls from across the globe including Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, Messiah College performed well and set many impressive marks.
Sophomore
Liz Martin put forth an impressive performance in breaking her own school record in the 400-meter Intermediate Hurdles. Her first place time of 1:01.26 is also the 4
th best time in the nation for NCAA Division III this season. She broke her previous record by over a second (1.23 s), with a four-second improvement from 2011 demonstrating Martin's tremendous commitment and work ethic.
As for freshman
Fred Fulton, he set a facility record at Swarthmore in the Shot Put, throwing 55'4.25” to take first place in the event. As impressive as it was, his throw as still more than five inches short of his school record set at the MAC Outdoor Championships less than 10 days ago.
Drew Engle and
Colin Reisler made headlines for Messiah in the Pole Vault, with each leaping a height of 4.35 meters (14'3.25”). The measures were the first time the two cleared 4.30 meters in the same meet this season.
Other impressive showings included that of
Alex Yoder, who ran a 48.62 in the 400-meter dash. His time became the 44
th fastest time in the nation for NCAA Division III this season, simultaneously becoming the 2
nd best time in Messiah history—pushing back that of head coach
Dale Fogelsanger (1987).
Katie Craven's Falcon PR performance in the 400-meter dash (58.41) and
Aaron Reynolds' PR showing in the 800-meter run (1:54.35) are also Messiah Top-10 records, as were
Courtney Long's (17:57.05), Mary Higgin's (18:23.72), and
Craig Hutcheson's (15:19.68) PR times in the 5000-meter run.
The men's 4x400-meter relay team of
Nicholas White,
Eric Witmer,
Aaron Reynolds, and
Tyler Newhook also set a Top-10 time, finishing third at the meet with a time of 3:21.80. Newhook's anchor of the team allowed him to earn yet another Top-10 for Messiah, with his oustanding career now including four Top-10 performances (800, 1500, 5000, and 4x400) and two All-American honors.
Freshman
Trevor Stutzman also finished what was an outstanding 2012 season, taking second in the Shot Put (48'11") and third in the Discus (148'3").
With limited opportunities remaining for additional qualifications to be reached for next week's NCAA Championships, the Falcons currently have three competitors with good chances to advance: Martin, Fulton, and junior
Hillary Pelkey (javelin), who threw a season best of 40.80 meters (133'10") in Saturday's Virginia Challenge to move into the top 21 for NCAA Division III.
Stay tuned to GoMessiah.com for future updates on Messiah's NCAA qualifiers.
