COLUMBUS, Ohio - On Saturday afternoon, the University of Dayton women's track team competed in their first meet of 2010 inside the newly renovated French Field House on the campus of the Ohio State University. The Buckeye Classic displayed an abundance of talent from many of the top Ohio track programs. Although there was no team scoring at the event, the Flyers were led by several standout performances in various distance and field events.
The Flyer pole vaulters stood out from the pack, as they controlled their respective event. Dayton's Courtney Siebenaller placed first overall with a height 11-11.75 feet, while freshman Katie Nageotte placed second right behind her teammate with a height of 11-05.75 feet. Senior Katie DeVault finished her day in third place with a height of 10-11.75.
Continuing the trend of phenomenal field performances, UD's Kerry Allen and Mallory Barnes took the top two spots in the women's weight throw. Each girl eclipsed the 59-foot mark, as the rest of the competition lagged almost five feet behind.
Dayton's shot put crew also fared well, placing five athletes in the top eight positions. The Flyers were led by junior Johnna Zaccari's second-place throw of 45-11.75. Senior Sarah Allen followed in fourth-place (45-02.50), while Barnes finished fifth with her hurl of 43-07.25. Senior Molly McCarty (6th, 43-02.50) and freshman Christine Borchers (8th, 40-11.75) rounded out the top Flyer results.
In the high jump, UD's Tiffany Maske placed second with her leap of 5-01.00.
The Flyers' leading runner from the cross country season, Maureen Bulgrin, was on top of her game as she placed first overall in the mile run. Another junior, Ashley Cattran, notched a third-place finish in 5:08.23, while teammate Brigitte Sherman came in eighth (5:41.15).
Bulgrin also grabbed second-place in the 800 meter event. She was joined in the 800 by Sherman, who finished eighth (2:29.51).
In the 1,000 meter run, Dayton's strong distance team showed its prowess as three runners nabbed the top spots. Kelly Johnston (3:10.86), Allie Heniff (3:21.09), and Marisa Slomski (3:23.09) placed first, second and third, respectively.
Another prominent cross country runner won her event as well. Liz Coorey dominated the finals of the 3,000 meter run, winning in a time of 10:11.93. Another Flyer, Elissa Mason, followed Coorey by placing second in a time of 10:14.20. Emily Zimmerman (10:21.38) and Alex Miles (10:59.94) also recorded top-ten finishes for the team in the 3,000 meter event.
Brittany Thomas led the sprinters with a third-place finish in the 60 meter dash. The senior recorded a time of 7.76 in the finals.
In the mid-distance events, the Flyers received a number of good times. Emma Steinmetz placed sixth overall in the 200 with her finish of 28.45. The senior was trailed by Renee Otte (9th, 29.27) and Erin Baldinger (10th, 29.32).
Dayton's Jada Henderson dug out a fifth-place finish in the 400 with her time of 1:02.41, while teammate Samantha English (1:05.92) took tenth overall.
The Flyers will now have a week to prepare for their next indoor event, the BGSU Challenge, which will be held next Saturday, Jan. 16 and will be an all-day event. Stay tuned to DaytonFlyers.com for complete meet results and a recap of the action on Saturday night.
