Pioneers continue to build momentum with success at Marietta Open #2
Five more records fall for Marietta at home meet

Jan. 24, 2009
MARIETTA, Ohio — The Marietta College track & field team's promising season built further momentum on Saturday (Jan. 24) afternoon at the Dyson Baudo Recreation Center with its performance at the Marietta Open #2. The Pioneers set five more school records en route to a first place finish in the men's competition and a runner-up placement in the women's standings.

Marietta's men racked up 165 points to top seven other schools, including second place West Virginia Wesleyan, who had 150 points, and third place Glenville State (W.Va.), who finished with 123 points. The Pioneer women, who competed against eight schools, compiled 162 points, which was second only to Marshall (W.Va.), who had 215 points. West Virginia Wesleyan finished third with 153 points.

Pioneer senior sprinter Sheena Spencer (Marietta/Parkersburg), senior thrower Brian Pallini (Medina), freshman sprinter Jayshon Irvin (Vero Beach, Fla./Sebastian) and freshman sprinter Ryan Householder (Frazeysburg/Tri-Valley), as well as the women's 4x200m Relay, set school records at the event. In addition, Marietta had six women and two men meet A Qualifying Standards and three women and another man reach B Qualifying Standards for the upcoming OAC Championships, which will take place at Capital on March 13-14.

Spencer, the school record holder in the indoor 300m Dash and 400m Dash, added the 500m Run record to her possession on Saturday. She won the race and met the A Standard for the OAC Championships after crossing the line in 1:19.90. Senior Jessi Larrison (Batavia), who held the previous record (1:20.94), also met the same standard with her second place finish. Larrison covered the distance in 1:20.87.

Earlier in the meet, the duo combined with junior Christi Tims (Olmsted Township/Olmsted Falls) and freshman Corryn Muench (Cold Spring, Ky./Newport Central Catholic) to set a new school mark in the 4x200m Relay. The group combined to run a 1:50.38 race, which broke the old mark by .61 seconds.

Irvin had a breakout performance in winning the 55m Dash. The sprinter qualified to the finals with a 6.64 second finish in the opening heat. He then won the final in school record time, crossing the line in 6.57 seconds, which met the A Qualifying Standard for the OAC Championships.

Householder, posted the third fastest time in the 200m Dash, finishing in a school record 23.32 seconds. He broke sophomore teammate Anthony Williams' (Columbus/Bishop Hartley) mark of 23.48 seconds. Williams also had a solid race in the 400m Dash, taking third place after crossing the line in 52.75, which met the B Qualifying Standard for the Conference Championships.

Junior Cody Thomas (North Olmsted) also qualified for the OAC Championships, meeting the A Standard with his first place finish in the 500m Run. Thomas was less than a one-half second from the school record mark, which has been on the books since 1984.

Pallini, the reigning OAC Men's Field Athlete of the Week, remained undefeated in the Men's Shot Put this season and won the Weight Throw for the second straight meet. He won the Shot Put with a mark of 14.47m (47-05.75) and took the Weight Throw with a school record toss of 16.09m (52-09.50).

Junior Randi Robertson (Avon Lake) qualified for the OAC Championships in two different events. She met the A Standard in winning the 800m Run, crossing the line in 2:28.87. Robertson then was one of three Pioneers to meet the B Standard in the 3,000m Run. She finished that race in 10:58.94, which placed her second overall. Freshman Jennifer Emmert (Martinsburg, W.Va.) took third place, crossing the line in 11:08.38, while junior Shannon McDonald (Lorain/Amherst Steele) placed seventh with a time of 11:32.22. Both Emmert and McDonald joined Robertson in meeting the B Standard in the event.

A trio of Pioneer women Pole Vaulters surpassed the A Standard in their event on Saturday. Freshman Emma Vierheller (Orrville) won the Pole Vault with a mark of 3.05m (10-00.00). Classmate Kim Keesler (Chagrin Falls), who holds a share of the school record, and sophomore Olivia Holiday (Malta/Morgan) placed second and third, respectively, after successfully clearing 2.90m (9-06.25).

Another noteworthy effort came from freshman James Vogt (Egg Harbor Township, N.J.), who set a new personal record in three different jumping events. Vogt won the High Jump with a mark of 1.90m (6-02.75), took third place in the Triple Jump with a mark of 12.67m (41-07.00) and claimed ninth in the Long Jump with a mark of 6.08m (19-11.50).

Marietta is back in action on Saturday (Jan. 31) when the Pioneers compete at the OAC Relays, which will be hosted by Otterbein College. Action begins at 12 p.m.

Senior Sheena Spencer set a school record in the 500m Run on Saturday.

Results