In the final weekend tune-up before hosting the much-anticipated 2021 Horizon League Outdoor Track and Field Championships, the Youngstown State track and field program tallied five event victories and numerous personal records on the final days of the Drake University Relays and the Ashland Alumni Open.
Nia Williams-Matthews (triple jump), Jessica Stever (long jump), Cambrie Campbell (javelin throw), Noah Drudy (javelin throw) and Lauren Sheehan (shot put) earned event victories during Saturday's action.
Drake University Relays
Just seconds off his P.B., Sean Peterson clocked a 1:52.50 in the university men's 800m run en route to an 8th-place finish on the day.
Closing the Drake relays for YSU, the 4x100 team comprised of Kyndia Matlock, Suerethia Henderson, Jahniya Bowers and Jaliyah Elliott clocked a 45.53 to tab a runner-up finish in the event.
Ashland Alumni Open
Running Highlights
Setting a 26-second personal best in the event, Chase Stewart tallied a runner-up finish in the men's 3000m steeplechase with a time of 9:58.00. Stewart's time sits as the eighth-fastest mark in the Horizon League this season. Not far behind, teammate Chase Harbaugh earned the 4th place finish with a personal-best time of 10:30.29.
Casey Zaitzew ran a quick 5:05.66 in the women's 1500m run to earn the third place finish in the event. Casey shed 17 seconds of her previous P.B. in the race. Ashley Ventimiglia also earned a top-five finish, running a 5:07.39.
The Guins went 3, 4 in the women's 100m hurdles, led by Madison Murry clocking a personal-best 14.92. Right behind, Emily Bee finished fourth with a time of 15.16.
On the women's side, YSU posted two of the top-6 times in the women's 200m dash in field of 28 runners. Logan Franczkowski ran a 26.37 to finish third and Antonella LaMonica posted a 26.46 for a sixth-place finish.
In a field of 30 entries, YSU posted three runners inside the top-7 in the men's 100m dash. Running a personal-best 10.94, Tye Hunt led the charge with a fifth-place performance. Right behind, Christian Ford (10.97) and Jamynk Jackson (11.00) finished sixth and seventh, respectively. Adding to his day, Ford finished fourth in the men's 200m dash with a time of 21.97.
Alex Lagaras set a new personal-best in the men's 800m run with a time of 1:55.97, and would go on to finish sixth overall ahead of 25 runners.
Luke Baun ended the Penguins' day on track with a 15-second P.B. in the men's 5000m run. Baun clocked a 15:39.53 to earn a bronze in the event!
Field Highlights
Nia Williams-Matthews captured the gold medal in the women's triple jump, jumping 11.39m. Teammate Stephanie Simon also finished inside the top-four, posting a 10.76m mark.
Matching her personal-best in the event, Jessica Stever took the event victory in the women's long jump with a 5.82m mark. Not to be largely outdone, Stephanie Simon added her second top-four finish on the day with a runner-up finish and a new personal-best (5.72). Alexis Prater rounded out the top-five in the event, notching a fifth place finish with a personal-best jump of 5.53m.
Finishing the weekend in style, YSU tallied three top-5 finishes in the men's and women's javelin throw – including two event victories and two runner-up finishes. Cambrie Campbell notched the event win in the women's event with a 39.23m throw. Behind Campbell, Olivia Jones finished second (39.13m) and Camryn Jarrett threw a personal-best 31.13 to finish fifth.
In the men's event, Noah Drudy tallied the event win with a 55.35m throw. Behind Drudy, Noah Weese finished second (53.33m) and Riley Wright threw a personal-best 41.20 to finish fifth.
Posing as the only entry for the YSU in the women's shot put, Lauren Sheehan threw a personal-best 13.46m mark to secure the event victory.
Competing in two events on the day, Daiquain Watson earned the Guins a runner-up finish with a 13.02m mark in the men's triple jump. Watson also posted the seventh-best mark in the long jump (6.66m).
Earning two top-5 finished on the day, Zach Gray posted a 15.94m mark to finish fifth in the men's shot put. Later, Gray recorded a personal-best 47.18m discus throw to tab a runner-up finish in the event! In the Elite section of the men's discus throw, Brock Grundy threw 47.38m to finish fifth.
Adding to her historic 2021 outdoor season, Erin Bogard cleared a 3.78m bar in the women's pole vault to capture the runner-up finish in the event. Teammate Katlyn Griffie cleared 3.63m to post a sixth-place finish.
Kaitlyn Merwin took the runner-up finish in the women's discus throw, posting a 40.08m mark. Freshman Emily Wolf finished fourth with a 39.58m throw.
In the Elite section of the women's shot put, Sammy Dyson threw a Horizon League-leading and personal-best 14.84m mark to earn a silver medal in the event.
Tye Hunt represented the Penguin's best finisher in the men's long jump, posting a 6.97m to earn a bronze medal. Teammate Jakari Lomax finished fifth with a 6.80m mark.
The Guins earn three top-6 finishes in the men's high jump, all clearing 1.95m. Terron Taylor led Penguins' finishers earning the third-place nod with the tiebreak. Lonnie Harper and Grant Moore finished fifth and sixth, respectively.
Up Next
The Penguins return to the track May 7-9 when they host the Horizon League Outdoor Championships at Farmers National Bank Field.
