Women Set to Battle for 16th Overall Horizon League Outdoor Title
5/8/2025 11:00:00 AM | Track and Field
The Youngstown State women's track and field team is out for their 10th league title in the past 11 years and 11th in the last 13 as the Horizon League Championships return to Youngstown this Friday through Sunday at the Covelli Sports Complex and YSU Throwing Area.
Youngstown State is going for its 16th overall outdoor championship title. YSU has also finished second on four occasions, most recently in 2024. The Penguins have won all six Horizon League outdoor league meets hosted in Youngstown, including all five at the Covelli Sports Complex.
Horizon League Outdoor Track and Field Championships
| Date | Location | Video | Live Stats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, May 9 | Covelli Sports Complex YSU Throwing Area Youngstown, Ohio |
ESPN+ (7:15 pm) | Live Stats |
| Saturday, May 10 | Covelli Sports Complex YSU Throwing Area Youngstown, Ohio |
ESPN+ (3:55 pm) | Live Stats |
| Sunday, May 11 | Covelli Sports Complex YSU Throwing Area Youngstown, Ohio |
ESPN+ (11:55 am) | Live Stats |
Last year, the Guins finished second behind Milwaukee at the league meet which was held in Rochester, Mich. Returning event winners from last May are Molly Radcliffe (discus), Melana Schumaker (pole vault) and Esther Solarin (long and triple jump).
The three-day meet will commence on Friday, getting underway with the discus which is scheduled for a noon start. The first events of the heptathlon are set for 12:30 p.m. Running events will begin at 7:20 p.m. with preliminary races of the women's 1500m run. The finals of the 10,000m will be held on opening night.
Action will resume Saturday with the final three events of the heptathlon starting at 9:30 a.m. Field events will begin at noon with the shot put and long jump. Saturday's running events will feature preliminary heats beginning at 4 p.m. with the 100m hurdles.
On Sunday, the hammer throw and high jump open the final day at 10 a.m. Running events are set to get underway with the finals of the 4x100m relay at Noon.
Event Breakdown
100m – YSU will be represented by Micah Carey, Mariah Day, Mone Knowles, Madison Murry and Elle Pearsall in the event. Day currently ranks second with her personal best of 11.82 seconds. The Penguins have won the 13 straight 100m races at the HL meet dating back to 2010.
200m – Mariah Day, Melody Harloff, Mone Knowles, Madison Murry will compete for the Penguins. Day and Harloff rank fifth and eighth respectively entering the competition. Harloff finished sixth at the 2024 championships. YSU had a streak of 12 straight winners in the event snapped last year.
400m - Melody Harloff and Abbigail Schleicher will be the two Guins in the 400m. Harloff was runner-up in 2024 and currently ranks sixth in the conference. Schleicher has a season best time of 59.82 seconds. The lone YSU winner of the HL title in the 400m was Breanne Romeo who won in 2008 at the old YSU outdoor track complex.
800m – The Guins will be represented in the event with Aiamyia Dudley and Carly Hall scheduled to compete. Dudley finished second at the 2022 championships in Oakland. Hall has a season best of 2:20.95.
1500m – Kenzy Beckett, McKinley Fielding, Lillian Katsaras, Carly Hall and Megan Stafford will run for YSU. Fielding, Katsaras, and Stafford will make their outdoor conference debuts. Beckett competed at last year's championships and currently ranks eight with her 4:36.94 personal best. Fielding is the top ranked athlete in the league, running a school-record time of 4:26.20 on April 12. YSU has never won the 1,500m.
5,000m – McKinley Fielding, Lillian Katsaras, Jenna Razavi, Grace Rhoades, Caleigh Richards, and Megan Stafford are slated to run on Sunday. Fielding ranks fourth, Richards, is eighth and Razavi currently is 10th in the league. Morgan Cole and Samantha Hamilton are the only two YSU runners to win the event.
10,000m – In Primetime on Friday, Fielding, Rhoades, and Richards will be in action in the 10,000m run. Fielding broke the school record in her 10k debut at the Raleigh Relays, where she ran 34:33.09 on March 28. Rhoades and Richards will be making their 10k debuts. Cole and Hamilton are the only two YSU runners to win the event.
110m Hurdles – Emily Bee, Ava Littler, Madison Murry and Lea Parham will compete for the Penguins. Murry and Bee did not compete at the outdoor event last year. Murry won the race in 2022 while Parham finished 13th at the 2024 meet. This year, Bee ranks third while Murry sits fourth entering the meet. Bee set the school record (13.60) on April 5 in Tennessee.
400m Hurdles – Emily Bee and Leah Parham will be the two Guins to run. Bee finished eighth at the 2023 outdoor meet. Parham finished 14th in 2024.
Steeplechase – Kenzy Beckett and Jenna Razavi will look to score points in the event. Razavi ranks fourth with her personal-best time of 10:59.56 while Beckett sits in fifth with 11:04.34. YSU last won the race in 2013.
Long Jump – Micah Carey, Daisha Decree, Esther Solarin, Nia Williams-Matthews represent a deep YSU jumping group in the event. Solarin ranks first, Carey ranks fourth, Williams-Matthews sits fifth and Decree sixth entering the meet. Last year, Solarin captured the title while Decree finished fifth. Williams-Matthews finished 13th in 2023 in Youngstown.
Triple Jump – The trio of Daisha Decree, Esther Solarin and Nia Williams-Matthews will represent the Penguins in the event. Solarin and Williams-Matthews rank first and second, while Decree is 10th. Solarin was the champion in 2024, while Williams-Matthews captured the crown in 2023. Decree was seventh last year.
High Jump – Emily Bee and Kalli Knoble will be the two Penguins competing. Knoble ranks sixth entering the meet and is coming off a 12th-place performance at last year's championships.
Pole Vault – A deep squad of Kaitlyn Eger, Emma Etzwiler, Ainsley Hamsher, Melana Schumaker and Gabbi Selman will vault for the Penguins. Hamsher and Schumaker rank first and second, Selman fourth, Eger fifth, and Etzwiler eighth heading into the meet. Schumaker and Hamsher went 1-2 at the 2024 meet in Oakland, while Eger and Selman finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Etzwiler finished fourth in 2023.
Shot Put – Molly Radcliffe, Olivia Mason and Lauren Sheehan will represent YSU. They rank third, fifth, and seventh heading into the meet. Radcliffe was seventh at last year's championships. Sheehan was runner-up in 2023.
Discus – Grace Bundy and Krista Perry will join Radcliffe, Mason, and Sheehan in the event. Radcliffe and Perry rank 1-2 in the HL, while Bundy and Sheehan sit 11th and 12th. Radcliffe is the defending champion in the event, while Perry finished 11th a year ago.
Hammer Throw – India Bailey, Grace Bundy, Olivia Mason, Krista Perry, Molly Radcliffe, Lauren Sheehan and Grace Sparks will spearhead the deep group of women in the hammer throw. Perry ranks second, Radcliffe fourth, Sheehan seventh, Sparks sits 10th and Bailey is 11th. Perry was runner-up in 2024 and Radcliffe finished seventh.
Javelin - India Bailey is the lone Penguin competing. She finished seventh at last year's meet and currently ranks fifth in the conference.
Heptathlon - Emily Bee will make her return to the Heptathlon. She last competed in the event at the 2022 conference championships, where she finished 13th. In 2022, she was the conference runner-up.
4x100m – YSU ranks fifth in the league with a best time of 47.71 seconds in the event which is set for Sunday. The Penguins won the relay on 10 occasions, most recently in 2023, which was a meet record.
4x400m – The final event of the meet. YSU last won the race in 2017.
Women's Entries
100m - Micah Carey, Mariah Day, Mone Knowles, Madison Murry, Elle Pearsall
200m - Mariah Day, Melody Harloff, Mone Knowles, Madison Murry
400m - Melody Harloff, Abbigail Schleicher
800m - Aiamyia Dudley, Carly Hall
1500m - Kenzy Beckett, McKinley Fielding, Carly Hall, Lillian Katsaras, Megan Stafford
Steeplechase - Kenzy Beckett, Jenna Razavi
5000m - McKinley Fielding, Lillian Katsaras, Jenna Razavi, Grace Rhoades, Caleigh Richards, Megan Stafford
10,000m - McKinley Fielding, Grace Rhoades, Caleigh Richards
100m hurdles - Emily Bee, Ava Littler, Madison Murry, Leah Parham
400m hurdles - Emily Bee, Leah Parham
4x100m relay - Mariah Day, Elle Pearsall, Madison Murry, Melody Harloff, Micah Carey (alternate)
4x400m relay - Melody Harloff, Mariah Day, Abbigail Schleicher, Aiamyia Dudley, Lea Parham (alternate)
High Jump - Emily Bee, Kalli Knoble
Pole Vault - Kaitlyn Eger, Emma Etzwiler, Ainsley Hamsher, Melana Schumaker, Gabbi Selman
Long Jump - Micah Carey, Daisha Decree, Esther Solarin, Nia Williams-Matthews
Triple Jump - Daisha Decree, Esther Solarin, Nia Williams-Matthews
Shot Put - Olivia Mason, Molly Radcliffe, Lauren Sheehan
Discus - Grace Bundy, Olivia Mason, Krista Perry, Molly Radcliffe, Lauren Sheehan
Hammer - India Bailey, Grace Bundy, Olivia Mason, Krista Perry, Molly Radcliffe, Lauren Sheehan, Grace Sparks
Javelin - India Bailey
Heptathlon - Emily Bee
