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APR.
8-9 — Williams
Leads Way At Little State Championships
Junior
wins pole vault; Lehman returns from
overseas to make splash in 10,000 |
Indianapolis, IN — Competing
in one of the oldest collegiate track meets in the country — and
one of the most competitive on its schedule — the Goshen
College track and field program produced some impressive results
at this weekend’s 100th Little State Championships on the
campus of Indiana University-Purdue University of Indianapolis.
With all NAIA, NCAA Division II and NCAA Division III Indiana schools
participating, Goshen’s women’s team was able to capture
an 11th place team finish at the 19-team meet, marking the first
time this season that the Leafs’ ladies captured a higher
place finish than their men counterparts (Goshen’s men’s
team finished in 15th place). Sunny skies and temperatures in the
mid 70’s made for a fabulous weekend in central Indiana,
and Goshen head coach Rick Clark said he was pleased with the way
his team contended.
“I was really proud of the way our women’s team competed
over the two days of competition,” Clark said. “For
the first time this season they outdid the men’s team in
team placement, and to do that on this weekend is outstanding.
We had
two very pleasant days of weather to compete in what is thought
to be one of the oldest collegiate track events in the nation,
and it was very rewarding to have our athletes compete at the level
they did.”
Perhaps most impressive was the fact that the Leafs were without
the services of sophomore All-American distance runner Petrana
Petkova, who sat out the event with a mild case of strep throat.
Incredibly, Goshen was lifted in the same event that Petkova would
have run — the 10,000-meter race — by senior Melissa
Lehman, who took home a third-place finish in a time of 39:35.50.
What made this result so extraordinary was that Lehman had just
returned back into the United States just 48 hours prior, after
spending three months in Ethiopia studying abroad.
“Melissa is an outstanding runner, but the surprising part
of the story was that she had just returned from three months of
study
in Ethiopia,” Clark said. “She was able to train there,
as was apparent by her time. Still, to be able to come back and
perform that well in this type of competition is pretty amazing.”
In addition to Lehman’s heroics, junior Erin Williams continued
to dominate in the pole vault event, taking first place in tying
the Goshen program record with a clearing of 10 feet. Freshman
Lindsy Glick finished in seventh place in the pole vault competition,
clearing a height of 9 feet. Williams was the only Goshen athlete — either
male or female — to capture a Little State Championship over
the weekend.
“Erin Williams continues to improve each week and only had
one miss until she went out at 10 feet which wrapped up the event
title
for her,” Clark said. “Lindsy Glick also continues
to improve and vaulted to seventh place with a new personal best.
It was very rewarding to have both of our vaulters place in this
level of competition.”
Senior Ventisha Conolly capped off the weekend with an outstanding
performance in the hammer throw, where her distance of 122 feet,
2 inches landed her in eighth place while giving her a new personal
best and an unofficial national record for the Cayman Islands,
Conolly’s home country.
“Ventisha is another story of continued improvement and hard
work,” Clark
said. “She continues to get better with each week.”
Goshen’s women’s team finished with 19 total points,
good for an 11th place finish. The University of Indianapolis won
the women’s team competition with a total 204 points. For
complete team results and individual event finishes to the meet,
click here.
Goshen will next travel to Mid-Central Conference rival Taylor
University for the Taylor Invite on Saturday.
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  Senior
Melissa Lehman
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