Women Take First, Men Third At Gusty Juniata Quad
Sophomore Kaitlyn Valis turned in a positive day at the Juniata Quad, winning the 200 and finishing second in the long jump.

Huntingdon, PA — A windy Saturday in the Appalachian Mountains served as the backdrop for the Juniata College Quad Saturday, as Messiah’s women finished first overall (158.5 points) and the men third (118 points).

Twelve individual first-place finishes highlighted the day for the Falcons, as sophomore Kristen Bates led the way with wins in the 100-meter dash 100-meter hurdles and the triple jump.

Messiah finished one, two, three in the women’s 100, as sophomore Abbey Glenzel and classmate Ellamae Heisey finished behind Bates (:13.20) in :13.50 and :13.68, respectively. Sophomore Kaitlyn Valis and freshman Lauren Harte finished first and second in the 200-meter dash, but the finishing times were not accurate due to high winds taking out the finish-line camera.

The gusty conditions didn’t deter Messiah’s women from running away with the first-place team finish, as sophomore Grace Kaste (2:23.76 – 800-meter run), junior Erin Rhodes (4:55.09 – 1,500 meter run) and freshman Mary Higgins (19:33.50 – 5,000-meter run) all captured individual top finishes. Bates’ leap of 35 feet, 6 inches was also the meet-best in the triple jump, while her time of :14.58 in the 100-meter hurdles was also the day’s best finish.

Bates also picked up points by finishing second in the high jump (5 feet, 1 inch), while Harte finished second in the 400-meter run in a time of 1:02.82. Freshman Brooke Airey finished third overall in the 800-meter run (2:32.51), while junior Jackie VanArsdale came in third in the 1,500 behind Rhodes in a time of 5:06.28.

The Falcons’ women scored in all 21 events on the day, as freshman Kate Spiering complemented Higgins’ effort in the 5,000 with a third-place, 20:28.90 clip while senior Delilah Ruiz finished behind Bates in the 100-meter hurdles in a time of :16.11 (third place). Glenzel finished second in her 400-meter hurdle debut (a time of :72.75) while junior Liz VanWinkle finished second in the steeplechase (13:52.10) and freshman Emily Brantner second in the pole vault (8 feet, 3 and ¼ inches).

That mark moved Brantner to 10th in the all-time program record books in the event, as did sophomore Alyssa Lengel’s second-place effort in the hammer throw (92 feet, 10 inches — eighth best in program history).

In addition to her win in the open 200, Valis also took second in the long jump (15 feet, 9 and ¾ inches) while Ruiz claimed third just a foot and a half behind. Sophomore Emily Strait finished second in the shot put (31 feet, 9 and ¼ inches) while Lengel placed second in both the hammer (93 feet) and the javelin throw (97 feet, 2 inches). Messiah’s women’s 4 X 800 relay team also captured a first-place result.

On the men’s side, Messiah was again led a collection of seniors, as Patrick Roach (:49.42 in the 400), Frank Eanes (15:46.70 in the 5,000) and Jason Brown (40 feet, 3 inches in the triple jump) all took home first-place results. Roach finished second in the 200 — the timing was again off due to the fallen camera — while Brown took third in both the 110-meter hurdles (:17.90) and the long jump (19 feet, 3 and ¼ inches).

Eanes was well-complemented in the 5k, as junior Artie Black (16:01.90), junior Cory Kaufman (16:15.90) and junior Peter Shenk (16:22.36) finished second through fourth. Kaufman’s time was especially noteworthy, as it fell just .66 of a second off the MAC qualifying standard — all after 12 and a half laps around the track.

Messiah received other point-securing performances from junior Eddy Palmer (1:59.43, second in the 800), freshman Tyler Newhook (4:14.78, second in the 1,500) and junior AJ Smith (176 feet, 3 inches, second in the javelin).

Smith also captured the program’s eighth-best hammer throw mark with a toss of 92 feet, 10 inches, while junior Matt Wicks improved his number two spot in the record books with a third-place, 130 feet and 10 inch effort.

Wicks also took third in the discus (111 feet, 5 inches), while sophomore Derek Forney finished third in the pole vault (12 feet, 4 and ½ inches).

Freshman Ricvh Pennisi finished third in the 400-meter hurdles in a time of :62.93. Junior Trevor Book finished third in the steeplechase in a 10:30.25 clip. Messiah’s men’s 4 X 800 relay also finished first overall.

The Falcons’ women defeated host Juniata (141 points) and MAC rival Elizabethtown College (114.5 points) to win the team event. E’Town’s men finished with 141 points to claim the team honor. Houghton College was schedule to compete in the quad, but could not make the event due to transportation issues.

Messiah will not have long to recuperate after the windy weekend experience, as the team is slated to compete against both Gettysburg College and Columbia Union College at the Gettysburg Tuesday afternoon. Events are slated to begin at 3 p.m.