MARIETTA, Ohio — Marietta College opened the 2023 indoor track season at home in the Pioneer Open Friday (Jan. 13) evening. The Pioneer women placed third, while the men finished fourth.

"It was a great first meet back from break. Lots of PRs and a school record. The athletes competed hard and are improving," Marietta head coach Jason Davis said. "We have had some adversity the last couple of weeks and these folks have really rallied around each other and responded in a positive fashion. I am so proud to coach this group of athletes."

West Virginia Wesleyan won the women's team title with 169.5 points. Glenville State placed second with 121.5 points, followed by Marietta (109), Alderson Broaddus (56), Shawnee State (40) and Pikeville (29).

Emily Thompson (St. Clairsville, Ohio/St. Clairsville) had the performance of the meet for the Pioneers breaking Marietta's pole vault record with a winning height of 3.68 meters, the third best mark in NCAA Division III this season. The old record stood for 13 years and was held by Kim Keesler with a height of 3.62 meters. Thompson also placed fifth in the 55-meter dash with a time of 7.98 seconds. She set a new person record in the prelims with a time of 7.94 seconds.

The Marietta women's pole vault crew dominated the meet with the top four finishers and five of the top eight. In addition to Thompson, Alison Loase (Bethesda, Ohio/Union Local) cleared 3.10 meters for second place. Baylee Brown (Marietta, Ohio/Marietta) placed third with a height of 2.80 meters, while Ashton Carroll (Corning, Ohio/New Lexington) cleared 2.65 meters for fourth place. Carroll also placed eighth in the 200-meter dash with a personal best time of 30.26 seconds.

Michaela Hieronymus (Letart, W.Va./Wahama) set a person record with a height of 2.20 meters placing seventh. She also set a personal record in the 400-meter dash crossing the line in 1:07.51 to place third.

Kaitlyn Gough (Canal Winchester, Ohio/Bloom Carroll) had Marietta's other event win. Gough won the 3,000-meter run finishing in a personal record time of 11:38.67. Isabelle Poling (Lancaster, Ohio/Bloom Carroll) finished fourth in the event with a personal best time of 12:06.14.

Emma Fehrman (Newark, Ohio/Licking Valley) had a pair of second place finishes in the long jump and triple jump. She set new personal records in both events posting a distance of 5.05 meters in the long jump and 10.85 meters in the triple jump. Cali Barnes-Pierotti (Gallipolis, Ohio/Gallia Academy) placed sixth in the long jump with a mark of 4.21 meters.

Brooke Huffman (Wooster, Ohio/Wooster) placed third in both the shot put and weight throw. She recorded a distance of 10.52 meters in the shot and 12.84 meters in the weight throw. Savannah Flusche (Blacklick, Ohio/) took second in the weight throw with a mark of 13.08 meters and placed eighth in the shot with a distance of 9.56 meters.

Mackenzie Moran (Tallmadge, Ohio/Tallmadge) and Abby Shartle (Germantown, Ohio/Valley View) placed in the mile run. Moran was third crossing the line in 6:25.08, while Shartle placed fifth with a personal record time of 6:42.27. Tara Fleming (Waverly, W.Va./Williamstown) placed seventh in the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 12.89 seconds.

West Virginia Wesleyan won the men's team title with 145 points. Glenville State was second with 117 points, followed by Alderson Broaddus (98), Marietta (87), Pikeville (27) and Shawnee State (12).

Lane Wilson (Wooster, Ohio/Wooster) and Addison Painter (Vermilion, Ohio/Vermilion) had event wins for the Pioneer men. Wilson won the 800-meter run with a time of 2:02.01, while Painter won the triple jump with a personal record leap of 13.45 meters. Wilson also placed second in the mile run with a time of 4:35.00. Painter placed second in the long jump with a distance of 6.72 meters and the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 8.16 seconds.

Matthew Siegler (Hamilton, Ohio/Badin) placed in the 55-meter and 200-meter dashes setting personal records in both events. He placed fifth in the 200m with a time of 23.65 seconds. In the 55m he set a personal record in the prelims with a time of 6.70 seconds and then he placed seventh in the finals with a time of 6.77 seconds.

Luke Watt (Rayland, Ohio/St. Clairsville) and Cael McCutcheon (Point Pleasant, W.Va./Point Pleasant) both placed in the pole vault. Watt finished second clearing 3.70 meters, while McCutcheon was third with a personal best height of 3.55 meters.

Jake Priest (Frazeysburg, Ohio/Tri-Valley) took second in the weight throw with a personal record heave of 16.81 meters. Reese Worship (Euclid, Ohio/Euclid) placed sixth with a mark of 12.83 meters. Beau Priest (Dresden, Ohio/Tri-valley) set a personal record in the shot put with a toss of 13.19 meters, good for fifth place. Gavin Cayton (McDermott, Ohio/Portsmouth Clay) placed sixth in the high jump clearing 1.65 meters.

On the track, Jack Hehr (Zanesville, Ohio/Tri-Valley) set a new personal best in the 3,000-meter run. He placed seventh with a time of 10:33.01. Evan Kieffer (Cheswick, Pa./Fox Chapel Area) placed seventh in the 400-meter dash with a time of 54.90 seconds, while Elijah Kuklica () was eight with a personal best time of 55.75 seconds.

Marietta is back at home next Friday (Jan. 20) for the Marietta Invitational. Field events start at 3:00 p.m. and racing begins at 4:30 p.m.

Fans can follow all the Pioneer teams all year long at pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on Twitter and Instagram.