photo by Ty Smith
Senior Danika Adams Peterson jumps in the triple jump at the Cal U Invitational meet on March 21.
Photo by Ty Smith
Freshman sprinter DeAnthony Morgan takes off in the 200 meter dash at the Cal U Invitational meet on March 21. This was the first outdoor meet in the history of the program.
Frigid weather conditions did not have an effect on the men’s and women’s track teams’ performances Saturday at the West Virginia Wesleyan Bobcat Invitational in Buckhannon, W. Va.
But the temperatures dipped as low as 25 degrees and put a halt on the teams’ fortunes, with the men finishing fifth and the women eighth out of the 11 teams participating.
“I know I can do better. I think the weather definitely affected it,” distance runner McKenzie Wilson said Sunday night in Lawrence Hall. “It was extremely cold and windy, and that makes for less than ideal racing conditions.”
The cold weather didn’t stop Wilson from setting her personal record in the 1500-meter run, coming in with a time of 5:47.58 minutes. Fellow teammates Katie Guarnaccia and Alexis Sherman also ran in the women’s 1500-meter run. Guarnaccia led Point Park in the event and ranked second coming in at 5:08.38.
“My goal for the rest of the season is to continue to shave time off, and then to score and place well at conferences,” Wilson said.
Sherman knocked off four seconds in the 1500 with a time of 6.14.58. She said she hopes to continue to increase her speed throughout the remainder of the season.
“I hope to run between 6:14 and 6:10,” Sherman said on March 21 at the Cal U Early Bird Meet. “Anywhere in that range because I’ll just keep dropping time, and it will keep making my mile time faster.”
In the jumping events, senior Vianka Cotton leapt three feet further than she did last week with leap of 9.55 meters, placing third. Shaun Berry also placed third in the men’s triple jump, leaping at 11.51 meters.
Freshman De’Anthony Morgan led Point Park in the men’s 100 and 200 meters with a time of 11.77 and 23.54 seconds, respectively.
Alex Vaughn, who was named the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC) men’s outdoor track athlete of the week for March 16-22, finished second in the 400-meter, coming in at 52.10 seconds.
Head track and field coach Kelly Parsley said the track and field teams will continue to work hard in preparation for their next meet.
“We have a short week since our [next] meet is on Thursday,” Parsley said in an email statement. “I am just hoping that the weather cooperates, and we can work on more of the technical things.”
The teams currently practice at Keystone Oaks High School in the South Hills neighborhood. They also spend time running around the campus and downtown area and work out in the Student Center.
The Pioneers will return to action on Thursday at the Slippery Rock University Open in Slippery Rock, Pa.
