Palmer's 800 Highlights Successful Outing At D-I Bison Invite

Lewisburg, PA — A small squad traveled to Bucknell University for this weekend’s Bison Outdoor Classic, returning with impressive results on the Easter weekend.

Junior Eddy Palmer stole the spotlight for Messiah, running a 2.44-second lifetime personal best in the open 800. Palmer finished second in his heat and eighth overall against 88 athletes, comprising all levels of NCAA competition. His time of 1:54.04 moves him from sixth to second on the Messiah all-time list, a clip bettered by only teammate and senior Pat Roach. Saturday’s exciting race ended with high fives and hugs celebrating his strong performance.

In addition to Palmer’s big performance, Messiah had three other personal bests over the weekend as well. Junior Artie Black started the meet in nice fashion running a one-second lifetime personal best in the 5,000-meter run with a 15:34.43. Senior Jason Brown then kept things rolling with an eight-inch lifetime best in the triple jump, leaping 42 feet, 8 inches. Freshman Tyler Newhook ran a .42 second lifetime personal record in the 800-meters as well, finishing in 1:58.28.

The Falcons began their competition in the Bison Outdoor Classic Friday night, as five athletes represented the program. In addition to Black’s strong performance in the 5,000, junior Cory Kaufman ran his second best time ever in the steeplechase with a 9:45.0. Although the runway was a grass surface for the javelin, junior AJ Smith finished 11th overall. His 172 feet, 2 inch mark is now his best effort while throwing from a grass surface.

Senior Jenny Kooser also ran a season best in the 5,000-meters with a time of 18:37.21 Friday night.

Although windy, Saturday was just the second time the team had seen sunny conditions all year. In addition to the personal bests by Palmer, Brown and Newhook, Messiah had several other strong performances. Roach finished second against the competition at Bucknell, running a season best :48.61 in the 400-meter run. Junior Kristen Bates also finished second in the 100-meter hurdles with a season best :14.40. That time is currently the second-fastest time in the nation at the NCAA Division III level. Bates also finished seventh in the triple jump with a jump of 36 feet, 4 and ¾ inches. Sophomores Jesse Weidemann and Mike Kimmel also competed in the 800 Saturday, running 1:59.13 and 2:01.39, respectively.

Messiah will next enjoy an extended break from class time over the Easter weekend before returning to campus to host its lone home event of the season next week. The Falcons will hold the Messiah College Invitational Thursday through Saturday at the Starry Athletic Complex. A detailed schedule of the three-day event can be viewed here (in pdf format). Performance lists (also in pdf format) are also available.