Final Results
GRANTHAM, Pa. – Freshman sprinter
Danisha Higgs made her last day at the 2011 MAC Outdoor Conference championship won for the record books, as the freshman sprinted her way to another program record time in the 200 meter dash, as well as winning a gold medal in the 100 meter dash and provisionally qualifying for nationals Saturday afternoon.
Higgs' new record time of 25.38 seconds shattered her original record time set earlier this season. It also broke Messiah' College's Starry Field record. Unfortunately her time was beaten out by Messiah's Katie Craven, who won the event with a final time of 25.34 seconds. In the 100 Higgs earned an NCAA “B” cut with her final time of 12.25 seconds, which was just five-hundredths of a second from matching the program set back in 1984.
Overall the men's team finished the three-day championship in eighth place with a combined 33 points. DeSales University took the team championship with a total of 183 points. The women's team finished in seventh place with 48 points, while host Messiah ran away with the conference title after tallying 188.33 points over the weekend.
The 4x400 relay team of Higgs,
Shannon Loos,
Meghan Loos, and
Danielle DiPietro also sprinted their way to a new record as the Lady Lions posted a combined time of 4:03.56 to break the original record by over three seconds.
Taylor Kutz recorded an eighth place finish in the finals of the 400 meter dash with her time of 1:02.66. Also making an appearance in the finals was
Mackenzie Miller in the 400 meter hurdles. The senior came even closer from matching the program record as she finished in sixth place with a time of 1:08.29.
Miller then took sixth in triple jump with her leap of 34-01.25 feet. Thrower
Lindsay Boyd earned a top-10 finish in the hammer with her toss of 101-07 feet.
In the finals of the men's 400 meter dash,
Anthony Glass earned second team all-conference honors after finishing in fifth place with a time of 51.38 seconds.
Bob Kellert ended his collegiate distance career with a 25th place finish in the 5,000 meter run with a final time of 17:21.79. The men's 4x400 relay team also earned second team all-conference honors with their fourth place finish and combined time of 3:29.45.
Pole vaulter
Clark Runciman leaped his way to a fifth place finish with his final height of 13-01.50. Nicholas Hultz recorded a leap of 35-05.25 feet in the triple jump to finish in 16th place overall. The hammer throw saw
Dane Canonico and
Robert Baldwin finish in 16th and 17th place respectively. Canonico recorded a throw of 113-04, while Baldwin finished the event with his toss of 109-11.
Jordan Fegley recorded a toss of 145-00 in the javelin to finish in 11th place.
Track and field will now send a select group of athletes to the ECAC Outdoor Championship meet on Thursday, May 19 and Friday, May 20.
