MYRTLE BEACH, South Carolina — The Marietta College men's and women's track team opened the outdoor season at the Myrtle Beach Collegiate Challenge Friday and Saturday (Mar. 14-15). The Pioneer me finished tied for 18th, while the women tied for 28th place in the meet that included schools from all three NCAA divisions, as well as the NAIA.
 
Appalachian State won the men's team title with 142 total points. UNC-Wilmington was second with 89 points, followed by Coastal Carolina (71), Rio Grande (70), and Gardner-Webb (67) in the top five. Marietta earned 10 team points.
 
Appalachian State also won the women's team title compiling 112.5 total points. The top five included Coastal Carolina (91), Gardner-Webb (87), Northern Illinois (85), and UNC-Wilmington (80). Marietta finished with two team points.
 
The Pioneer men had three top 5 finishers. Franko Rome (Cambridge, Ohio/Buckeye Trail) placed fourth in the 800-meter dash with a time of 2:01.91. In the men's pole vault, Sage Landis (Friendly, W.Va./) placed fourth clearing a height of 4.55 meters (14' 11"), while Cael McCutcheon (Point Pleasant, W.Va./Point Pleasant) was fifth with a mark of 4.40 meters (14' 5.25").
 
Several Pioneers set personal records at the meeting. Isiah Mitchell posted personal bests in the 100-meter dash (11.35 seconds) and the 200-meter dash (23.25 seconds). Cooper Warren (Logan, Ohio/) also PR'd the 200m (25.29 seconds).
 
Aiden Keener (Orrville, Ohio/Smithville) notched a pair of personal records in the 400-meter dash (55.94 seconds) and the 1500-meter run (4:48.55). Matthew Fehrman (Newark, Ohio/Licking Valley) (2:07.32) and Max King (Granville, Ohio/Granville) (2:08.06) both had personal bests in the 800-meter dash.
 
Luke Price (Perrysburg, Ohio/Perrysburg) set a personal record in the 400-meter hurdles (1:00.68), while Kevin Hernandez (Plymouth, Ohio/Willard) did so in the 5000-meter run (17:12.39). Rounding out the men's personal records was Ryan House (New Concord, Ohio/John Glenn) in the discus throw (34.77 meters (114' 1") and the javelin 45.04 meters (147' 9").
 
On the women's side, Eden Tepe (Oregonia, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) and Michaela Hieronymus (Letart, W.Va./Wahama) scored team points for Marietta. Tepe finished fifth in the pole vault clearing a height of 3.00 meters (9' 10"), while Hieronymus placed seventh in the 800-meter dash with a time of 2:22.56.
 
Four Pioneers set two personal records each. Emma Fehrman (Newark, Ohio/Licking Valley) did so in the 100-meter dash (12.80 seconds) and the 400-meter dash (58.38 seconds). Sadie Gray (Whipple, Ohio/) PR'd in the 100m (12.80 seconds) and the 200-meter dash (27.16 seconds).
 
Lillian Franchino (Waterford, Ohio/) recorded personal bests in the 200m (30.43 seconds) and the 400m (1:08.20). Audrey Helmick (Berkeley Springs, W.Va./Berkeley Springs) had personal records in the 3000-meter run (11:33.07) and the 5000-meter run (20:06.39).
 
Marietta will compete in the Amy Adams Memorial Invitational hosted by Muskingum University Friday and Saturday (Mar. 28-29).
 
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 X and Instagram.