GREENCASTLE, IND. -- The Trine University women's indoor track & field team traveled to Greencastle, Ind. to take part in the DePauw University Invitational and came away with the team title.
The Thunder finished with a team score of 95 points to take top honors. Hanover College was second at 90 points and Kentucky Wesleyan College was third with 89 points.
Highlighting the running events was a pair of top-three finishes by freshman Amira Faulkner (Bellbrook, Ohio/Bellbrook) in the 800-meter and mile run. Faulkner turned in a time of 5:19.31 in the mile to finish as the runner-up in the event and she placed third in the 800-meter run after posting a time of 2:24.26. Also in the 800m, sophomore Madi Howard (Stockbridge, Mich./Stockbridge) placed in the top-10 with a time of 2:29.86 which was good enough for the eighth spot.
In the 3000-meter run, freshman Alli Smith (Temperance, Mich./Temperance Bedford), junior Elizabeth Lohman (Fort Wayne, Ind./Carroll) and junior Megan Theismann (Ossian, Ind./Norwell) all recorded top-five times with Smith leading the way at 10:22.82 to finish second overall. Lohman followed in third place after running a time of 10:32.99 and Theismann was fourth at 10:42.53.
Sophomores Stephanie Hartpence (Elkhart, Ind./Concord) and Paige McGonigal (Coventry Twp., Ohio/Coventry) both ran in the 400-meter dash and posted the top-two times for Trine with Harpence running a mark of 1:04.64 to place sixth and McGonigal was 10th after running a time of 1:06.68.
Senior Massie Jo Maskow (Howe, Ind./Lakeland) competed both on the track and in the field events and had a pair of top marks in the 60-meter hurdles and the long jump. In the 60m hurdles, Maskow finished fifth overall after recording a time of 10.06 seconds and she was seventh in the long jump with a leap of 15' 7.00."
Rounding out the top finishes in the running events was a seventh-place showing by senior Hope Scholma (Montpelier, Ohio/Montpelier) who had a time of 8.52 seconds.
Trine had one event winner and a host of top-five performances in the field events with sophomore Valerie Obear (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) taking top honors in the weight throw thanks to a best throw of 53' 2.75." She was joined by senior Andrea Hagar (Goshen, Ind./Fairfield) who was fifth at 43' 10.75."
In the pole vault, sophomore Autumn Presley (Pleasant Lake, Ind./Angola) was second after clearing the bar at an even 10' 0.00."
Two student-athletes finished in the top-five in the high jump in freshman Lia Vawter (Franklin, Ind./Franklin) and Hartpence. Both competitors both cleared a height of 4' 11.00" with Vawter placing fourth and Hartpence fifth via judges decision.
Hagar and Obear also both competed in the shot put event with Hagar posting the third-best mark among the field of 36' 7.00." Obear finished seventh in a mark of 33' 10.00." In addition, sophomore Anna Kmec (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) and freshman Madelyn Summers (Kendallville, Ind./East Noble) both competed in the shot put and Kmec had a mark of 36' even to place fourth and Summers recorded a toss of 34' 4.00" to finish sixth.
Up next for Trine will be the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Indoor Championship which will be hosted by Trine on Saturday, Feb. 29 at the Keith E. Busse/Steel Dynamics Athletic and Recreation Center. The first events are scheduled to start at 10 a.m.