Five school records fall for Pioneer track & field at Marietta Open #3
Marietta sweeps seven-team competition

Feb. 23, 2008
MARIETTA, Ohio — The Marietta College track & field program hosted the Marietta Open #3, its fifth home meet of the 2007-08 indoor season, Saturday (Feb. 23) morning inside the Dyson Baudo Recreation Center. The Pioneers swept the seven-school competition, setting five school records along the way. Marietta’s women compiled 193 points to distance itself from second place Pitt-Johnstown (Pa.) (114 points) and third place Rio Grande (85 points). The Pioneer men collected 196 points, beating out second place Rio Grande (126 points) and third place West Virginia State (92 points).

For the third straight week, Marietta’s men’s Weight Throw record fell; each time it was a new mark from Brian Pallini (Medina). The junior won the event on Saturday with a school record throw of 15.43m (50-07.50). He also took second in the Shot Put, finishing with a mark of 14.09m (46-02.75).

Not to be outdone, junior Tiffany Kovacevich (Strongsville) also broke the school record in the women’s Weight Throw. She topped former teammate Rachel Forman’s record of 13.22m (43-04.50) with a throw of 13.49m (44-03.75). Kovacevich also went on to win the Shot Put with a mark of 11.19m (36-08.50).

Freshman Seth Beckner (Red House, W.Va./Buffalo) improved upon his school record en route to winning the Pole Vault. Beckner cleared 4.37m (14-04.00). His previous best was a school record jump of 4.34m (14-02.75).

Two women’s running records also fell on Saturday. Senior Sheena Spencer (Marietta/Parkersburg) set a new standard in the 400m Dash, finishing first with a time of 1:01.19. Junior Jesse Larrison (Batavia) also beat the old school record and finished second with a time of 1:02.47. Freshman Tara Leach (West Lafayette) broke the school record in the 55m Dash with a 7.73 second finish in the prelims. She went on to win the finals with a time of 7.79 seconds. Leach also won the Long Jump competition, finishing with a mark of 4.91m (16-01.50).

Overall, Marietta had nine women and five men win individual titles and 39 athletes place in the top three at the meet. Sophomore Randi Robertson (Avon Lake) won both the Mile Run (5:40.53) and the 800m Run (2:25.90). Sophomores Brenda Puckett (Eaton/Preble Shawnee) (2:31.92) and Logan Wern (North Canton/Hoover) (2:34.27) followed Robertson to the finish line in second and third, respectively in the 800m Run.

Senior Mallory Sinoski (Fairpoint/St. Clairsville) won the 55m Hurdles, finishing in 9.34 seconds and then took third in the 300m Dash, finishing in 47.39 seconds. Sophomore Shannon McDonald (Lorain/Amherst Steele) took third in the 3,000m Run, crossing the line in 11:40.30.

Senior Breanne Kosar (Wheeling, W.Va./Wheeling Park) and freshman Ericka Shafer (East Canton) took second and third, respectively in the High Jump; both cleared 1.47m (4-09.75). Shafer also took third in the 55m Dash, finishing in 7.86 seconds.

Freshman Olivia Holiday (Malta/Morgan) won the women’s Pole Vault, clearing 3.05m (10-00.00). Sophomore teammate Jen Valentic (Medina/Highland) took second after clearing 2.75m (9-00.25).

Sophomore Sarita Dhiraprasiddhi (Hilliard/Darby) placed second in the Triple Jump, finishing with a top mark of 9.84m (32-03.50). Senior Rachelle Cole (Sherrodsville/Conotton Valley) took second in the Weight Throw with a mark of 12.04m (39-06.00), while freshman Stephanie Hammond (Toledo/Central Catholic) placed third with a mark of 11.53m (37-10.00).

The women’s 4x200m Relay team, which featured senior Joanna Ferrell (Mineral Wells, W.Va./Parkersburg South), Larrison, Spencer and Leach, also won their event, combining for a time of 1:51.95, three-hundredths of a second shy of the school record.

On the men’s side, sophomore Josh Mickle (Madison) won the Mile Run with a time of 4:32.44 and took second in the 800m Run after finishing in 2:04.62. Senior Harrison Potter (Rochester, N.Y./Gates Chili) was right on his tail in both races, taking second in the Mile Run (4:35.87) and third in the 800m Run (2:06.62).

Junior Jered Mitchem (Marietta/Warren Local) won the 500m Run, crossing the line in 1:11.28. Freshman Anthony Williams (Columbus/Bishop Hartley) was second, finishing in 1:12.15. Freshman Matt Hickman (St. Marys, W.Va.) took second in the 55m Dash, running a time of 6.70 seconds.

In the distance races, sophomore Corey Blattler (Barnesville) won the 3000m Run, finishing in 9:56.30, while sophomore Cody Thomas (North Olmsted) took second, crossing the line in 10:10.97. Senior John Hull (Scott Depot, W.Va./Winfield) placed second in the 1,000m Run with a time of 3:01.33. Sophomore Mike Siringer (Willowick/Willoughby South) finished runners-up in the 5,000m Run, running a time of 16:51.96. Freshman Max Kenngott (Akron/St. Vincent-St. Marys) placed third, finishing in 17:05.09.

Freshman Justin Floyd (Redford, Mich./Redford Union) took second in the High Jump, clearing 1.82m (5-11.50). Freshman Zack Kirkman (Byesville/Meadowbrook) placed third in the Shot Put with a mark of 13.18m (43-03.00). Junior Derek Carpenter (Belpre) was third in the Weight Throw after a top throw of 13.46m (44-02.00).

The men’s 4x200m Relay also won its race. The foursome, who featured Hickman, freshman Darren Bailey (Detroit, Mich.), Williams and freshman Randall Freeman (East Cleveland/Shaw), finished with a time of 1:34.98.

Marietta is back in action for its final home meet of the indoor season on Saturday (March 1). The Marietta Open #4 is slated to begin at 11 a.m. It will also be the last tune-up and qualifying opportunity before the 2008 Ohio Athletic Conference Indoor Championship, hosted by Otterbein College on March 7-8.

Freshman Tara Leach won the 55m Dash in record time and also had two more victories on Saturday

Results