Pioneers resume indoor track & field season with Marietta Open #1
Marietta men place third and women finish fifth at competition

Jan. 19, 2008
MARIETTA, Ohio — The Marietta College track & field program returned from its holiday break to compete at Saturday (Jan. 19) afternoon's Marietta Open #1 inside the Dyson Baudo Recreation Center. Five men's teams and six women's teams joined the Pioneers at the second of six home meets slated for the 2007-08 indoor season.

Wheeling Jesuit (W.Va.) claimed the men's title with 177 points, while Muskingum took second with 120 points and Marietta finished third with 112 points. Seton Hill (Pa.) won the women's side with 143.50 points, while Wheeling Jesuit placed second with 120 points and Washington & Lee (Va.) was third with 119 points. Marietta' women took fifth after compiling 74 points.

Pioneer freshman Seth Beckner (Red House, W.Va./Buffalo) had the highlight of the meet for Marietta with his performance in the Pole Vault. Beckner, who broke the school's indoor record at the team's first competition of the year on December 8, improved upon that mark en route to winning the event. Beckner cleared 4.34m (14-02.75), almost two inches higher than his previous best mark.

Marietta had three other individual event champions on Saturday. Olivia Holiday (Marietta) took first place in the Pole Vault with a mark of 2.59m (8-06.00). Teammate Jen Valentic (Medina/Highland), who cleared the same height, took second. Freshman Matthew Hickman (St. Mary's, W.Va.) won the 55m Dash with a time of 6.74 and took second in the 200m Dash after crossing the line in 24.28 seconds. Junior Jered Mitchem (Marietta/Warren Local) captured first place in the 300m Dash, finishing in 37.06 seconds.

The Pioneers also had a number of second and third place finishers at the meet. Junior Jessi Larrison (Batavia) placed second in the 500m Run, finishing in 1:23.53. Sophomore Josh Mickle (Madison) was runners-up in the 1,000m Run, finishing in 2:50.87. Sophomore Shannon McDonald (Lorain/Amherst Steele) and senior Harrison Potter (Rochester, N.Y./Gates Chili) placed second and third, respectively, in their 3,000m Run races. McDonald crossed the line in 12:00.20, while Potter finished in 9:23.83. Freshman Tara Leach (West Lafayette) took second in the Long Jump, clearing 4.85m (15-11.00). Sophomore Brian Pallini (Belpre) and senior Dan DeZordo (Alliance/Marlington) finished second and third, respectively, in the Weight Throw. Pallini, who also took third in the Shot Put with a mark of 13.30m (43-07.75), had a toss of 14.59m (47-10.50), while DeZordo's best mark was 13.17m (43-02.50).

Marietta also had a pair of successful relays. The men's Distance Medley Relay, which featured Potter, freshman Anthony Williams (Columbus/Bishop Hartley), Mitchem and Mickle, took first place with a time of 11:05.05. The women's 4x400m Relay, which included sophomore Brenda Puckett (Eaton/Preamble Shawness), Larrison, senior Mallory Sinoski (Fairpoint/St. Clairsville) and Leach, took second after crossing the line in 4:28.14.

The Pioneers will return to action on Saturday (Jan. 26) when they host the Marietta Open #2. Action will begin at 11 a.m. with the running events to start at 12:10 p.m. [Meet schedule (.pdf)]

Junior Jered Mitchem won the 300m Dash and help Marietta win the DMR on Saturday

Results