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MAR.
24 — Leafs
Claim Second In Five-Team Home Invite
Williams
new record in pole vault boosts team
in lone home meet of season |
(Women's Results) Goshen, IN — Beautiful sunshine
and temperatures near 60 degrees set the backdrop for the Goshen
College track and field program’s lone home meet of the season
Thursday, as the Leafs hosted four other teams in the Goshen Invite
at the Eigsti Track and Field Complex. Behind a number of outstanding
performances, the Leafs claimed a second-place team finish at the
event, falling only to Mid-Central Conference rival Bethel College
in the total point standings.
“We were pleased with the efforts by both the men’s
and women’s
teams to earn runner-up finishes in our invite,” said Rick
Clark, Goshen head coach. “We had a number of athletes turn
in very good performances, and that gave us some balance throughout
the afternoon.”
Perhaps most impressive on the women’s slate was junior Erin
Williams, who set a new school record in the pole vault competition
for the second consecutive week. After tying the record in last
week’s Polar Bear Invite, Williams took sole possession of
the school’s outdoor mark on Thursday with a clearing of
10 feet, knocking 2004 graduate and 9 feet, 6 inch record-setter
Kelcie Glick out of the books.
The Leafs’ 4 X 800 relay team of junior Rachel Yantzi, sophomores
Laura Herr and Petrana Petkova and freshman Anna Mast also broke
a program record, turning in a second-place finish in the event
in a time of 10:15.57. That clip thwarted a five-year old mark
by over 11 seconds.
“Erin Williams and our 4 X 8 relay team really came out strong
with new school records,” Clark said. “For Erin to
raise the pole vault mark for the second week in a row is outstanding.
She has worked very hard.”
Williams also finished third in the 100-meter hurdles,
finishing the race in a clip of :17.00, a new Eigsti
Track record by a Goshen runner. Williams also was
a member of the third-place 4 X 400 relay team that
clocked a 4:26.19 finish, running alongside juniors
Rachel Yantzi and Tara Plank and freshman Lindsy
Glick.
Petkova was responsible for even more team points, as the All-American
runner took home first in the 1,500-meter run (2:29.33) and the
5,000-meter run (18:35.76). Her 5,000-meter clip was an Eigsti
track record by a Goshen athlete.
Senior Ventisha Conolly also grabbed a first-place finish in the
hammer throw competition, launching the object a distance of 110
feet, 4 inches. Yantzi (who finished fifth in the
hammer with a distance of 96 feet, 1 inch) grabbed a second-place
ribbon in the 800-meter run, setting a new track record by a Goshen
athlete in a time of 2:29.33.
“Petrana helped lead us with two victories and an anchoring
role in the 4 X 800 relay team,” Clark said. “Ventisha
Conolly also came through with a satisfying victory in the hammer.
This
is a nice pay off for her hard work and perseverance.”
Freshman Cally Feldman took fourth place in the javelin with a
heave of 69 feet, 8 inches, setting a new Eigsti field record by
a Goshen athlete in the process. She also finished fourth in the
hammer (97 feet, 7 inches) and fifth in both the shot put (32 feet,
2 inches) and the discus (79 feet). Sophomore Rachel Slentz finished
third in the discus (83 feet, 7 inches) and tied Yantzi for fifth
in the hammer throw (96 feet, 1 inch).
Other highlights from the track side included a second-place finish
in the 100-meter dash by Plank (:13.80) and a third-place
effort from sophomore Laura Herr in the 5,000 (19;46.32).
Goshen finished in second place with 62 total points. Bethel won
the women’s event with 133 points, while the University of
St. Francis finished third (48 points), Trinity Christian College
fourth (33 points) and Tri-State University fifth (three points).
For a complete list of team and individual results and point totals,
click here.
Goshen will next participate in the Runner’s Forum Invite
on Saturday, April 2. That event will be held on the campus of
Anderson University.
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  Junior
Erin Williams
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