MC track kicks off Winter Weekend with third place finishes at MC Open Alumni Meet
Feb. 4 2005
MARIETTA, Ohio – Marietta College's busiest weekend of the winter, Winter Weekend, began on the track of Dyson Baudo Recreation Center Friday (Feb. 4) afternoon, with the MC Open Alumni Meet. The Pioneer men and women each concluded the night with a third place finish at the event, the third of six home meets this season.
The men's squad totaled 139 points, finishing behind Capital (219) and Concord (WV) (143.50). Muskingum (114.50) took third, while Bethany (WV) placed fifth as a team with 47 points and Charleston (WV) finished sixth (34).
Junior Clark Spears (Brunswick) and freshman Dan DeZordo (Louisville) each qualified for the OAC Championships Friday. Spears took first place in the 5000m with a time 16:06.12, while DeZordo won the shot put with a toss of 45-10.00.
Spears also ran to a third place finish in the 3000m (9:29.01), while teammates John Hull (Scott Depot, WV) (10:02.51) and Andrew Wichie (Brunswick) (10:04.41) placed fourth and fifth, respectively. Hull also took third (16:28.80), while Wichie placed fourth (16:59.72) in the 5000m.
Pioneer history was made in the weight throw when junior Eric Finn (Shelby) threw a school record 45-05.75 to take first place in the event. Junior Raj Sharan (Manchester, MD) (41-06.00) and DeZordo (40.03.50) finished second and third, respectively, behind Finn in the weight throw.
Senior jumps specialist Chris Taylor (Mineral Wells, WV) had another successful evening as he cleared 6-06.000 to win the high jump and leaping 20-10.00 to take runner-up in the long jump. He also took fifth in the triple jump with a distance of 37-03.25.
Other top three finishers for MC included senior Chad Showen (Parkersburg, WV), who captured third place in the pole vault with a height of 12-11.75 and freshman Harry Potter (Rochester, NY), who ran to a third place finish in the 800m with a time of 2:05.99.
The Lady Pioneers set four school records and had two OAC qualifiers on their way to totaling 101 points and third place. The Crusaders swept the meet when their women collected a meet-high 222 points and Charleston placed second with 143.50 points. Muskingum (82.50), Concord (73) and Bethany (6) completed the scoring for the women.
Freshman Joanna Ferrell (Mineral Wells, WV) set the school record with her third place finish (29.12) in the 200m dash. Sophomore Brea Gardner (Glenford) also set a new Lady Pioneer record in the 1000m, where she finished second (3:39.58).
Freshman Mallory Sinoski (Fairport) also broke a MC record and qualified for the OAC Championships when she place third in the 55m hurdles with a time of 9:34. Alecia Benninger completed the Lady Pioneers' record breaking performances with a fifth place finish in the shot put. Her toss of 35-08.50 qualified her for the next month's (March 4-5) OAC Championships, which will be hosted by Marietta College.
Sophomore Lydia Christopher (Cypress, TX) took first place in the 5000m with a time of 21:19.86, while teammate Lyndley Dmitsak (Alquippa, PA) finished second (23:19.36). Dmitsak also took third in the 1000m (4:14.33).
Freshman Marissa Barnhart (Avon) won the women's high jump by clearing 4-11.75, while freshman Janelle Rhodes (Indian River, MI) finished third in the pole vault (8-06.00) and sophomore Rachel Forman (Heath) placed third in the weight throw with a toss of 38-11.50.
Marietta will be in action next week when members of its squad head to Ohio Northern Saturday (Feb. 12) for the All-Ohio Championships. The Pioneers will return in full force Saturday (Feb. 19) when they play host to the Marietta Open #2 in the DBRC.
