Marion, IN — Taking an injury-depleted
squad to the Mid-Central Conference Championship meet this weekend
at Indiana Wesleyan University, the Goshen College women’s
track team put forth an impressive display, dominating in some
areas en route to a fifth-place finish.
“Our women’s team came real close to their maximum
level of performance at this meet,” said Rick Clark, Goshen
head coach. “With
several athletes out due to injury or studies abroad, we feel very
good about how we competed and finished.”
The Leafs took total control of the distance events on the weekend,
with sophomore Petrana Petkova finishing first in both the 5,000-meter
run (18:36.14) and 10,000-meter run (36:01.38). Her clip in the
10,000-meter event met the NAIA National qualifying mark, as did
senior Melissa Lehman’s time of 38:51.39, finishing second
behind Petkova. Lehman also was at the top of the pack in the 5,000-meter
event, finishing third in a time of 19:24.91.
“Petrana and Melissa teamed up to just dominate the distance
events,” Clark
said. “When they both are running in top form, they are a
very talented one-two punch.”
Petkova earned All-MCC honors as a result of her first place finishes,
as did junior Erin Williams, who continued to obliterate program
records in the pole vault competition. After breaking her old school
record with a clearance of 10 feet, 6 inches just two weeks earlier,
Williams again outdid herself, skying to a first-place finish with
a leap of 10 feet, 11 and 3/4 inches, a new Goshen College record
and passing the NAIA National qualifying mark. Her mark was also
a new conference championship record, as Williams earned All-MCC
accolades as a result of her outstanding performance in the event.
“Erin just continues to soar in the pole vault,” Clark
said. “She
has continued to work hard, and is seemingly setting new records
by the day.”
Freshman Lindsy Glick wasn’t too far behind Williams in the
pole vault, taking home a fourth-place finish with a height of
9 feet, 6 inches cleared. Junior Rachel Yantzi had a solid weekend
of competition as well, finishing sixth in the hammer throw (109
feet, 1 inch) and seventh in the 800-meter run (2:24.50). Senior
Ventisha Conolly captured a seventh-place effort in the shot put
(34 feet, 3 inches) while freshman Cally Feldman eighth place (32
feet, 10 and 1/2 inches) and grabbed a seventh-place finish in
the hammer (107 feet, 7 inches). Conolly took home eighth place
in that event, slinging the hammer a distance of 102 feet, 9 inches.
Goshen accumulated 64 total points in the meet, defeating Marian
College (59 points), Spring Arbor University (45.5 points), the
University of St. Francis (35 points) and Grace College (21.5 points).
Indiana Wesleyan won the team event with 217.5 total points. Bethel
College finished second with 149.5 points, Taylor University third
with 141 points and Huntington College fourth with 84 points. For
complete individual and team scores and results in all events,
click here.
Update: Goshen sophomore Petrana Petkova was the lone female athlete
competing for the Leafs at the Butler Twilight meet on May 7, and
Petkova made the most of her trip to Indianapolis. Petkova finished
fourth in the women’s 5,000-meter run in a time of 17:50.11,
setting a new school record while qualifying for the NAIA National
Championships in that event as well. Petkova (5,000-meter and 10,000-meter
run) will join senior Melissa Lehman (10,000-meter run and marathon)
and junior Erin Williams (pole vault) as contestants for the Leafs
in the NAIA National Championships in Louisville, Kentucky over
the weekend of May 26-28. Check back to this website for Goshen’s
run to the national championships as the event transpires.
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  Sophomore
Petrana Petkova
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