DELAWARE, Ohio — Another competition, another NCAA provisional qualifier.
That was the case for the Marietta College track & field program, which competed at the Division III All-Ohio Championship at Ohio Wesleyan University on Saturday (April 11) afternoon. For the third straight week a Pioneer student-athlete reached a provisional mark for the 2009 NCAA Division III Track & Field Championship, which will be hosted by Marietta College May 21-23 at Don Drumm Stadium. [Men's Results / Women's Results]
Freshman Jayshon Irvin (Vero Beach, Fla./Sebastian) became the latest Pioneer to qualify for the year-end event with his first place finish in the finals of the 100m Dash. Irvin, who was ranked third after the prelims when he ran 10.97 seconds, turned it on in the finals and beat everyone to the line in a school record 10.71 seconds. He came in under the NCAA Provisional Qualifying Standard of 10.78 seconds.
The performance was just one in a series of highlights for Irvin on Saturday. He also won the 200m Dash after crossing the line in personal record 21.96 seconds. Earlier in the day, Irvin helped the men's 4x100m Relay take runner up in its event. Freshman Ryan House (New Concord, Ohio/John Glenn)holder (Frazeysburg/Tri-Valley), freshman Caleb Downey (Heath) and sophomore Matt Hickman (St. Mary's, W.Va.) combined with Irvin to run a time of 42.38 seconds.
Marietta's men, who finished in seventh place with 38 points, had one other Top 3 performance at the 20-team meet, which was won by host Ohio Wesleyan with 108 points. Sophomore Zach Gay (Elyria/Oberlin), who last week provisionally qualified in the High Jump, placed third in the same event after clearing 2.00m (6-06.75).
The Pioneer women climbed five spots from their 2008 finish to place runner-up with 82.50 points on Saturday. It was their highest finish ever at the event, which was won by Ohio Northern University with 87 points.
Sophomore Olivia Holiday (Malta/Morgan) was one of Marietta's two individual event champions. She won the Pole Vault after clearing a school record 3.40m (11-01.75). Senior Tiffany Kovacevich (Strongsville) was the other Pioneer winner. She placed first in the Hammer Throw with a top mark of 43.92m (144-01).
Junior Randi Robertson (Avon Lake) set a school record while taking second place in the 3,000m Steeplechase. Robertson maneuvered the course in 11:44.06, cutting almost 15 seconds off her old school record.
The women's 4x100m Relay, which featured freshman Corryn Muench (Cold Spring, Ky./Newport Central Catholic), freshman Lauren Asbury (White Sulphur Springs, W.Va./Greenbrier East), senior Sheena Spencer (Marietta/Parkersburg) and freshman Brittany Sims (Columbus/Eastmoor Academy), also took runner-up in its race. The Pioneers crossed the line in 50.03 seconds.
Muench and Spencer then teamed with senior Jessi Larrison (Batavia) and junior Christ Tims (Olmsted Township/Olmsted Falls) to place third in the 4x400m Relay. Marietta finished with a time of 4:00.65. Spencer added another third place finish in the 400m Hurdles after covering the distance in 1:05.81.
Marietta is back in action on Saturday (April 18) afternoon when it has a final tune-up for the 2009 Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Championship. The Pioneers will compete at the Wilmington Invitational, which will take place on the same site as the OAC Championship, slated for April 24-25 at Wilmington College.
