READING, Pa. – The Lebanon Valley Men's Indoor Track and Field team came up big when they needed points to win the program's second consecutive Middle Atlantic Conference title on Saturday at Alvernia University. The women also had a strong day to finish second in the field of 16.
 
The men finished with 118 points to top the field for the second straight year as Messiah University finishing second with 103 points. Melissa Byler and James O'Brien '07, M'16, repeated as Coach of the Year and Assistant Coach of the Year after the meet was over. The women scored 108.5 points to finish second behind Widener University who won with 158 points. Anna Sawicki earned Rookie of the Year honors after a huge two days.
 
Track Events
Colin Winters scored six points in the 60 meters final with a time of 6.97 seconds to finish third. Donovan Goundie just missed the medal stand in the 200 meters with a time of 22.94 seconds to finish ninth. Ava Matter was fourth in the women's race to score five points with a career-best time of 26.43 seconds. Her time is third in the program record books. Darrian Berkheimer won her heat in 26.88 seconds and was ninth overall. Goundie scored two points in the 400 meters with a career-best time of 51.21 seconds to finish seventh. His time is fourth on the program's Top 10 list. Luke Macchione was 23rd in 54.26 seconds. Daniel Murtha finished third in the 60-meter hurdles final with a time of 8.31 seconds to score six points. Sawicki had a time of 9.56 seconds in the women's final to finish eighth and score one point.
 
Elijah McKell took the lead right around halfway through the 800 meters and never looked back to win his fourth consecutive conference title in the event with a time of 1:55.74 to score a big 10 points for the Dutchmen. Caden Bell was 22nd in 2:04.48. Sierra Kapcsos was fifth in the women's race to score four points with a time of 2:23.06. Rory Lieberman led for a good portion of the men's mile and held off a late push with a strong final lap to win the event in 4:20.10 and score 10 points. Sam Rothstein scored three points with a sixth-place finish in 4:28.22. Eric Shelton also found a spot on the podium with an eighth-place finish to score one point in 4:30.14. Aden Davis finished 15th in 4:44.09. Autumn Garges was third in the women's mile with a career-best time of 5:05.41 to score six points. Her time moves her up to third on the program's Top 10 list. Kyrianna Nemitz was sixth to score three points in a career-best 5:17.60. Her time is eighth in the record books. Abigail Hunt just missed the podium in ninth with a time of 5:24.39.
 
Lieberman came back and finished second in the 3000 meters in an event the Dutchmen needed a lot of points in. He crossed the line in 8:35.07 to score eight points. Joe Chukoskie added five points in fourth place with a time of 8:42.09 while Andrew Namatka ran a career-best time of 8:48.21 to finish sixth and score three points. Namatka moved into the program record books at seventh in the event. Dylan Lenhart was 12th with a time of 8:59.36, Rothstein finished 15th in 9:06.02, and Wyatt Leitzel ran 9:16.60 to finish 21st. Coyla Bartholomew was second in the women's 3000 with a career-best time of 10:22.79 to score eight points. Her time moves her up to fifth on the program's Top 10 list. Garges finished seventh to score two points in 10:33.71 while Nemitz added a point in eighth place with a career-best time of 10:34.50. That time is ninth in the record books.
 
LVC clinched the title with a first-place finish and 10 points in the 4x800 meter relay. The team of Lukas Walko, Alec De Cesare, Shelton, and McKell ran 7:58.11 to give the Dutchmen a sizeable lead heading into the final event. Their time is also second in program history. The women's 4x800 team of Emily Miller, Kapcsos, Kaylee Senglar, and Hunt finished third in 10:07.51 to score six points. The team of Goundie, Murtha, Matt Bruchak, and McKell closed out the weekend with a time of 3:31.81 in the 4x400 relay to finish fourth and score five points. The women's squad of Berkheimer, Matter, Charleigh Seifert, and Mileyska Calderon was second in the 4x400 relay with a time of 4:11.52 to score eight points. That time is ninth in program history.
 
Field Events
Graison Michajluk finished on the podium in the high jump with a height of 1.83 meters (6'0") to finish eighth and score one point. Rachel Snavely was third in the women's pole vault with a height of 3.30 meters (10'10") to score six points. Emily Oriel cleared 3.15 meters (10'4") to finish fifth and score five points. Luisanna Polanco scored a point in eighth with a height of 2.85 meters (9'4.25") while Emma Evans hit 2.70 meters (8'10.25") to finish 10th. Alex Brown finished 14th in the triple jump with a mark of 12.43 meters (40'9.5") on his third attempt. Chloe Grady led the women on the podium in the triple jump in sixth place with a career-best mark of 10.65 meters (34'11.25") on her third jump to score three points. Her jump is fifth on the program's Top 10 list. Tola Oyinkolade scored two points in seventh with a career-best mark of 10.51 meters (34'5.75") on her second attempt. Her jump is tied for seventh in the record books. Hailey Myers was eighth to score one point with a career-best jump of 10.40 meters (34'1.5") on her fifth try. Her mark is tied for ninth.
 
Nick Guerieri scored a point in the shot put with an eighth-place finish at 13.71 meters (44'11.75") on his fifth throw. Ian Paul was 17th with a mark of 12.69 meters (41'7.75") on his third attempt. Aonghas Evanick finished 19th at 12.31 meters (40'4.75") on his first toss. Alyssa Betz led four women in the event with a 10th place finish at 10.66 meters (34'11.75") on her second throw. Greta Plechner was 14th with a mark of 10.10 meters (33'1.75") on her second toss. Lauren Assante finished 15th at 10.02 meters (32'10.5") on her first attempt. Joie Connolly was 24th with a mark of 9.40 meters (30'10.25") on her third throw.
 
Multi
Michajluk finished sixth in the heptatlon with 4060 points to score three team points. He started day two of the event in the 60 hurdles with a time of 9.87 seconds for 566 points. He cleared 3.20 meters (10'6") in the pole vault for 406 points and finished up with a time of 3:12.84 in the 1000 meters for 544 points. Ethan Rush was 13th with 3078 points. He started the day with a time of 9.56 seconds in the 60 hurdles for 627 points. He then cleared 2.20 meters (7'2.5") in the pole vault for 179 points. He finished the 1000 in 3:14.06 for 533 points.
 
Sawicki won the pentathlon to score 10 team points with a school record total of 3331 points. The first-year bettered her own record of 3235 points from earlier this year. She was second in 60 hurdles with time of 9.64 seconds for 781 points. Sawicki took the lead in the high jump with a clearance of 1.59 meters (5'2.5") for 724 points. She threw the shot put a career-best 11.73 meters (38'6") for 643 points and then had a mark of 4.83 meters (15'10.25") in the long jump for 514 points. Her shot put mark is tied for fifth in the record books. Sawicki finished up her busy weekend in the 800 meters with a time of 2:31.93 to score 669 points. Carolina Wegman was eighth with a point total of 2312 points to score one team point. She started with the 60 hurdles in a career-best 11.62 seconds for 439 points. She then had a height of 1.56 meters (5'1.25") in high jump for 689 points. Wegman threw the shot put 8.63 meters (28'3.75") for 440 points, had a mark of 4.65 meters (15'3.25") in the long jump for 466 points, and finished with a time of 3:09.97 in the 800 meters for 278 points.
 
The Dutchmen will head to Ithaca next weekend for the AARTFC Championships being hosted at Glazer Arena by Ithaca College. The two-day event starts on Friday and will conclude Saturday.

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