Photo courtesy of Liz Berie, Point Park Athletics
Sophomore sprinter Chereese Langley rushes to the finish line with sophomore sprinter Jahniah McAllister behind her to a dash.
With the indoor season nearing its end, multiple Point Park athletes are close to qualifying for nationals. Sophomore jumper Jryi Davis and sophomore distance runner Katie Guarnaccia have already qualified for the national meet.
A total of seven records were broken at Saturday’s Baldwin Wallace mid-February meet on Friday. The men’s team placed 2nd of 15 teams at the meet and the women took 3rd of 15 teams.
The men’s 2×400 relay team highlighted the day by setting a school record time of 1 minute, 38.77 seconds. Senior Eric Biggs, sophomore Theo Washington, and freshmen Desmond Marrow and Tyrone Robinson were the group to break the record.
“The level of competition is a lot higher than the past meets we’ve been to,” Biggs said. “I don’t really remember anybody doing poorly at the meet. I’m expecting a good meet out of everyone.”
Sophomore sprinter JaQuan Lavender finished second in the men’s 200-meter with his time of 23.41 seconds.
“Just a few months ago I had a strained hamstring that set me back, but I continued to fight through it,” Lavender said. “If anything, [the] obstacles I had overcome were being hurt and returning back strong.”
Since Davis is already in nationals for the triple jump, he has different expectations going into the Pioneers’ last meet at Kent State University this Saturday.
“The track can be a factor at times,” Davis said. “There are things that we have to overcome and this is one of them. I know that everybody is going to be performing their best at Kent State.”
For the women, the highlight of the night was the 2×400 meter dash after the Pioneers set a new school record. The sophomore team of Chereese Langley, Aneia Dutrieuille, Olukemi Olugbakinro and Amber Brown won the event with their time of 1 minute, 47.11 seconds.
Freshman mid-distance runner Madison Przicina is one Point Park athlete close to qualifying for nationals. Przicina set a team record in the 800-meter run with a time of 2 minutes, 25.86 seconds. She has high expectations for Saturday’s meet at Kent State.
“I’m nervous, but I feel like I do well under pressure and knowing that it’s the last chance to qualify for nationals,” Przicina said. “I feel like that’ll just motivate me that much more to go after it.”
Other records that were broken by the women include the 55-meter dash time of 7.39 seconds by freshman sprinter, hurdler and jumper Onon Kadimas, the 500-meter run time of 1:24.65 by Olugbakinro, the 1,000-meter run time of 3:18.07 by Guarnaccia, and the 55-meter hurtle dash time of 8.76 seconds by Kadima.
Point Park travels to Ohio this weekend for the Kent State Tune-Up. It is the last chance for athletes to qualify for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA)Indoor National Championship Meet held March 3-5 at Johnson City, Tenn.
Freshman mid-distance runner Desmond Marrow gives the baton to freshman sprinter and hurdler Bryan Partika in an attempt to qualify for nationals at
Baldwin Wallace on Feb. 12.
Freshman shot putter Leah Sero recieved ninth place in the event with a
throw at 10.39 meters during Friday, Feb. 12 at Baldwin Wallace.
