Saturday, March 31, 2012

WOOSTER, Ohio - Two Titan records were broken, while the Westminster College men's and women's track and field teams competed at the Wooster Invitational on Friday. The event was hosted by The College of Wooster. 

Junior Adam Carswell (Painesville, OH / Notre Dame Cathedral Latin) made history in the 400 meter dash, breaking a 50-year old school record with a first-place time of 49.51. Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Field Athlete of the Week sophomore Anthony Thomas (New Castle, PA / Union) also etched his name in the record books as he broke a 38-year old school record in the triple jump with a first-place leap of 14.06 meters (46'1.50").

The Titans competed against seven other schools that included Wooster, Edinboro, Denison, Kenyon, Ashland, Bowling Green State Track Club, and Walsh.

The men finished in first-place with 162 points, while the women finished in second with 139.50 points. The men finished with six first-place finishes, while the women had four.

Thomas led the Westminster men with two first-place finishes. Along with his triple jump finish, Thomas earned first in the long jump with a leap of 22'8.50".

Senior JJ Faltot (Mercer, PA / Mercer) (22.73) and Carswell (22.74) finished first and second, respectively in the 200 meter dash.

Sophomore Jason Frawley (Franklin, PA / Franklin) took first in the shot put with a toss of 43'7.25". Junior Mark Taylor (West Middlesex, PA / West Middlesex) was first in the pole vault with a 16' mark, while senior Ryan Bell (New Wilmington, PA / Wilmington) earned first in the javelin throw with a toss of 184'04".

Freshman Christian Friday (Bethel Park, PA / Bethel Park) earned second in the 110 meter hurdles with a time of 17.42. Friday was second in the 400 meter hurdles with a time of 1:00.89. Sophomore Zac Henry (North East, PA / North East) finished second in the 100 meter dash with a time of 11.45.

Also in the field events, sophomore Kendall Hunter (McKeesport, PA / McKeesport) took second in the high jump with a mark of 5'10" and second in the long jump with a 19'10.75" mark.

For the women, sophomore Haley Gabor (New Kensington, PA / Ford City) finished first in the 400 meter dash with a time of 58.54 and in the 200 meter dash with a time of 25.95. Gabor was also second in the pole vault with a 9'6.25" mark.

The 4x100 meter relay team consisting of sophomore Kristen Basista (Mineral Ridge, OH / Mineral Ridge), senior Alisha Slater (Wooster, OH / Norwayne), and seniors Hayley Ebersbacher (Chesterland, OH / West Geauga) and Mallory Mack (Carnegie, PA / Chartiers Valley) finished first in the time of 49.58.

Rounding out the first-place finishers for the women was senior Bridget McCray (Centerville, PA / Titusville) who won the javelin throw with a 122'06" mark. Mack also finished second in the 100 meter dash with a time of 12.87. Slater followed in third (12.98). In the field, Slater earned second place in the long jump with a 17' mark. 

Also in the 200 meter dash, Mack (26.44) and Slater (27.25) earned second and third, respectively.

Basista also earned third in 100 meter hurdles with a time of 17.32. In the 400 meter hurdles, sophomore Olivia Bonavita (Aliquippa, PA / Hopewell) clocked in for second at 1:12.95.

In the field, senior Emily Dolsak (McDonald, OH / McDonald) took third in the shot put with a throw of 33'3".

Westminster is back in action next Saturday, March 7, as they travel to Carnegie Mellon.

About Westminster College...
Founded in 1852 and related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Westminster College ranks first in the nation as "Best College for Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math," according to Forbes.com. Westminster, a top-tier liberal arts college, ranks third in graduation rate performance, according to U.S. News Best Colleges guide. Westminster ranked 6th among liberal arts colleges in social mobility, according to the Washington Monthly College Guide, and is one of the most affordable national liberal arts colleges in Pennsylvania. Westminster is also honored as one of "The Best 376 Colleges" by The Princeton Review, and is named to the President's Honor Roll for excellence in service learning.

Nearly 1,600 undergraduate and graduate students benefit from individualized attention from dedicated faculty while choosing from 42 majors and nearly 100 organizations on the New Wilmington, Pa., campus. Visit www.westminster.edu/advantage to view "Advantage: Westminster" A Strategic Plan 2010-2020.