The University of Dayton track program concluded action at the Oliver Nikoloff Invitational hosted by the University of Cincinnati on Saturday. Dayton took third place with 112 points. They defeated Marquette, Notre Dame and conference foe Xavier amongst others.

 

“We had an outstanding first outdoor meet,” said head coach Jason Francis. “There were many personal records set this weekend, with most being huge improvements.”

 

Dayton picked up valuable points in the 100m dash when Cassie Grandstaff, Noelle Tazioli and Jada Henderson finished in sixth, seventh and eighth place respectively. Grandstaff finished with a time of 12.30 while Tazioli and Henderson finished in 12.42 and 12.43

 

Grandstaff and Henderson also scored points in the 200m dash. Grandstaff took fifth in a time of 24.95. This moves her into fourth on the all time UD list. Henderson finished in eighth with a time of 25.26.

 

Maya Pedersen and Kassy Thomas were the top Flyers in the 400m. Pedersen finished in fourth with a time of 56.31. Pedersen now takes over the fifth place spot on the all time UD list. She previously was tied in this spot with a time of 56.80. Thomas was eighth in a time of 57.99.

 

Lauren Clark continued to run well for the Dayton distance crew. She placed third in the 800m with a time of 2:13.58. This is third on the all time UD list for outdoor. Nicole Armstrong also ran well for the Flyer distance team in the 1,500m run. Armstrong placed fifth in a time of 4:39.69.

 

Dayton dominated the steeplechase. Lizzie Gleason took the top spot with a time of 10:46.67. Nicole Cargill was right behind her placing second in a time of 10:48.80 Cargill’s time places her third on the all time UD list. Olivia Albers took the third spot finishing in 11:15.54.

 

In the 100m hurdles, Maddi Schmidt was the top Flyer. She scored three points in a time of 14.69. Paige Yeager also competed in the hurdles but at the 400m level. She placed fifth in a time of 1:05.26 placing her fourth on the all time UD list.

 

The Flyers took third place in the 4x100m relay. The squad finished in a time of 47.47 and earned six points as well as being the fifth best 4x100 relay time ever at UD. Dayton also scored five points in the 4x400m relay. The relay crossed the line in a time of 3:54.95.

 

Ellie Grandi finished in fourth place in the high jump. She finished with a height of 1.68m as well as the fourth best height in UD outdoor history. Juliana Lawniczak scored a point placing eighth with a height of 1.58m.

 

Katrina Steinhauser continued to do well in the pole vault. She took second place with a height of 3.85m earning eight points. This was an all time personal best as well as places her third on the all time outdoor list.

 

Maddi Schmidt also earned two points in the long jump with a length of 5.33m. She now holds down the fifth place spot in the long jump for UD outdoor. She followed this up with a victory in the triple jump reaching 11.72m. This tied her school outdoor record.

 

Christine Borchers scored six points in the discus throw placing third. She finished with a toss of 45.05m. She is now third all time in UD outdoor.

 

Julie Kolodziej scored five points in the javelin throw with a toss of 31.72m.

 

Katy Garcia and Rebecca Maj finished the heptathlon on Saturday finishing in sixth and eighth respectively. Garcia ended the day with a total of 4,480 points while Maj accumulated 4,195. Garcia now has the second best outdoor point total in UD history.

 

“This was a great start to our outdoor season,” said Francis. “I am looking forward to watching our continued performances as the season moves along.”