SYDNEY LORENTZ
STAFF WRITER
The inaugural season of Franciscan University of Steubenville indoor track and field is off to a running start, kicking off with the Mount Union Toy Drive Collegiate Invitational.
Beginning its season at this meet at the University of Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio, the team is eager to improve and see more competition as the season progresses.
On the women’s side, freshman Brigid Kelly was 15th in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 11.58 and 22nd in shot-put with a throw of 7.85 meters. Junior Mary Catherine Pankus was 24th in the 60-meter dash with a time of 9.72, and freshman Ashlin LaFond placed fourth in the 800-meter dash with a time of 2:36.
In the mile run, junior Kristine Stickney was third with a time of 6:08, and freshman Sydney Lorentz was fourth with a time of 6:38. In the 3000-meter run, freshmen Alison Bryant and Mary Jo Shirger finished in a close-knit pack in fourth and fifth places with times of 11:40.24 and 11:40.42 respectively.
In the 200-meter dash, Hantz came in 26th place with a time of 31.60 and was also 10th place in the long jump, reaching 4.11 meters. Freshman Taylor Smith finished third in the 5000-meter run with a time of 22:33. Rounding out the evening for the Lady Barons was the 4×800-meter relay, in which they finished third place overall.
On the men’s side, freshman Jack Spiller was 33nd in the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:10.97. The men’s distance medley relay, composed of Spiller, sophomore Mark Borek, senior Nick Long and freshman Mike Sobus, finished second overall, and Sobus also finished fourth in the mile run with a time of 5:13. Sophomore Liam Galligan finished first in the 3000-meter run in 9:12, and sophomore Austen Duggan finished ninth in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:10.
Sophomore Easton Sylverston was 25th in the 400-meter dash in 58.68. Senior Carlo Fabian was 23rd in 400-meter dash as well 30th in the 200-meter dash. To round out the runners for the Barons were freshman Max Martin and senior Mike Orsatti, who came in 27th and 35th place in the 200-meter dash.
Head coach Vince Oliver had many positive takeaways from this first meet. “Our athletes got the opportunity to see actual competition outside of their very tough practices so far this year,” he said. “More than anything, we all were able to glorify God with our talents and our time and in everything we did.”