BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - Dayton track and field fared well in its first team competition of 2010, as the Flyers claimed titles in seven events and placed second overall amongst a ten team throng at the BGSU Challenge on Saturday at Bowling Green's Perry Field House.
The Flyers received a personal best performance from senior Kate Tejkl, who blitzed the field and won her event in a time of 1:38.63. That time was a full second ahead of the next-closest-finisher in the race.
Dayton also had six other individual winners on Saturday, but came up just behind Central Michigan University in team scoring (135.5-129.5).
Returning to the 800 meter race, junior Ashley Cattran put up a time of 2:11.26 and won her final to help the Flyers to ten of those points. She was joined in the top ten by fellow junior Liz Coorey (10th, 2:21.60). Coorey also contributed to the team score by finishing fifth in the mile for UD.
Sophomore Rachel Weber also contributed points in the mid-distance events, as she placed seventh overall (59.99) in the 400 meter run.
In the sprints, UD received scoring times from seniors Brittany Thomas and Lauren O'Brien. Thomas placed fifth in a time of 7.86, while O'Brien crossed the line just after in 8.03 to seize seventh place. O'Brien also fetched a seventh place finish (26.35) in the 200 event on Saturday.
Dayton also had winners in the 3,000 and 5,000 length races. In the 3,000, junior Maureen Bulgrin placed first in a time of 9:50.87, which was just off school record pace. The Flyers also had two of the top three finishers in the 5,00 meter event, where sophomore Elissa Mason came away on top with her finish of 17:47.60. Classmate Emily Zimmerman was just behind in third place with her time of 18:17.29.
In the 4x400 relay race, the Flyers 'A' team of Rachel Weber, Jada Henderson, Kate Tejkl and Ashley Cattran placed fourth overall in a total time of 4:02.09.
UD did a lot of scoring damage in the field events, especially in the shot put, where five athletes scored for the Flyers. Junior Johnna Zaccari led the charge with her overall win, recording a distance of 45-07.25. Close behind Zaccari was teammate Mallory Barnes with a toss of 43-10.50, good for third place. Senior Sarah Allen followed in fourth (43-07.00). Also in the top ten for UD, junior Molly McCarty notched a seventh place standing (42-03.50) and freshman Christine Borchers also put up a point with her eighth place result of 41-01.50.
Junior Tiffany Maske was the lone scorer for Dayton in the high jump, where she soared to a height of 4-11.50 and a seventh place finish.
Dayton also exhibited its dominance in the pole vault event, where four Flyers cracked the top nine spots. Sophomore Courtney Siebenaller won the event with her mark of 11-11.75, but followed closely by rookie vaulter Katie Nageotte, who placed third with a height of 11-05.75. Junior Pembroke Strickland (8th, 10-06.00) and senior Katie DeVault (9th, 10-06.00) rounded out the top finishers for the Flyers in that event.
Barnes, who placed third in the shot put, was a winner in the weight throw event. The junior recorded a distance of 60-09.50 to lead the way for the Flyers, who had three of the top five finishers. Junior Kerry Allen was right behind Barnes, and finished second overall with her mark of 59-07.00. Molly McCarty, a senior, also scored with her toss of 53-05.00, which placed her fifth overall.
The Flyers, who have competed in two straight weekends, will have another quick turnaround as they travel to the Jane Hermann Invitational back at Bowling Green on Friday, Jan. 22. Stay tuned for complete results and a recap of all the action at DaytonFlyers.com.
