MAY 4 — Partial Squad Shines At Toledo Invitational

Goshen takes just a portion of team to NCAA Division I event; places two athletes

Toledo, OH — With the bulk of team-driven meets in the rear view mirror, the Goshen College women’s track and field program took only a partial squad to Friday’s University of Toledo Invitational, placing a pair of athletes while registering personal bests in a variety of other areas.

Sophomore Laura Harnish led the way for the Leafs at the NCAA Division I meet, as the speedster raced to a third-place finish in the 800-meter run, behind only Central Michigan University’s Amanda Lyon and Capital University’s Shelly Gains in a time of 2:18.61. While an impressive clip and Goshen’s top individual finisher on the evening, the mark was less than a second off the NAIA National qualifying standard, giving Leafs’ head coach Rick Clark reason to be optimistic as the season winds down.

“We only took about a dozen athletes to compete in the Toledo Invite Friday evening, but those that competed had efforts that were either season best or near best marks,” Clark said. “Laura was right there, and she has a good chance of hitting (the qualifying mark) in our next meet.”

Sophomore All-Mid-Central Conference performer Deanna Kronk backed Harnish’s efforts, finishing fifth in the hammer throw with a tally of 147 feet, 6 inches, her second-best throw of the season to date.  

While no other Goshen athlete placed in the meet, freshman Jessica Steil surpassed the 100-foot mark for the first time in her career in the hammer throw, notching a distance of 100 feet, 2 inches. Sophomore Rachel Versluis ran a personal-best 2:45.85 in the 800-meter run, while freshmen Rachael Baker (2:22.69) and Whitney Turner (2:24.31) also put forth strong efforts in that event.

No team scores were kept in the meet. For a complete look at individual results and finishes, click here.

“We’ve got some athletes who are still looking to punch a ticket to the national championships, and we’ve got some opportunities upcoming,” Clark said. “We want to be peaking at the right time.”

Goshen will again take a select group of athletes to its next competition, as the Leafs will next participate in Friday’s Cedarville University Qualifier Meet.