Rochester, Mich. – The Youngstown State women's track and field team used a gritty all-around performance to hold off Milwaukee and win their 17th Horizon League Outdoor Track and Field title as the three-day event concluded on Sunday at the Elaine Lehigh Track and Field Complex.
The Penguins finished with 172 points while the Panthers were just behind with 163.5 points. YSU started the day down 13 points after seven events. After nine complete competitions, YSU trailed by 14.5. Eventually the Penguins went in front, but a strong effort by the Panthers in the triple jump put them ahead 157.5 to 150.
In the 5,000m, the Guins scored 14 points to grab a 6.5-point lead entering the 4x400m relay. The Penguins beat the Panthers in the race to earn the title.
McKinley Fielding picked up her first career win the 1,500m at the league meet while Tori Atkins finished second in the 400m and Gabbi Selman was runner up in the pole vault to headline the individual effort.
YSU scored 18 points in the relays, which proved to be key to winning the team title.
100m – Ava Reeves earned a fifth-place finish with a time of 11.96 seconds in her outdoor debut.
200m – Tori Atkins came in fourth with a time of 24.62 seconds while Harloff was seventh.
400m – Atkins was the race runner up with a time of 54.30 seconds while Harloff came in fourth at 55.84 seconds.
800m – Karis McElhaney came in third with a time of 2:12.01 in her outdoor debut.
1,500m – Fielding cruised to the title with a time of 4:24.30. She won the race by more than seven seconds and in the process became the second runner in school history to win the event.
5,000m – Fielding finished second with a time of 16:48.50 while Caleigh Richards came in fifth (17:12.37) and Jenna Razavi placed seventh (17:20.01).
110m Hurdles – Parham won a tightly-contested race with a time of 13.74 seconds. Second place was 13.76 seconds while third was 13.79 seconds. It was her first outdoor HL title.
400m Hurdles – Parham had a fourth place time of 1:01.90 in the event.
4x100m – The Guins won the race with a time of 46.20 seconds as Anais Martinez, Atkins, Reeves and Harloff raced to the top spot on the podium.
4x400m – YSU's quartet of Harloff, Martinez, Dionisio and Atkins took second place with a time of 3:46.46 just beating the Panthers at the finish line.
High Jump – Mia Dionoiso finished third while Kalli Knoble came in fifth. Both cleared heights of 1.66m.
Hammer Throw – Jaylynn King was fourth with a throw of 49.05m while India Bailey came in fifth with a career-best toss of 48.42m.
Pole Vault – Gabbi Selman, Kaitlyn Eger and Melana Schumaker all cleared 3.82m to finish second, third and fourth respectively.
