INDIANAPOLIS - The Marian women's track and field team captured a perfect start to the 2024 Crossroads League Indoor Championships on Friday at the Fall Creek Pavilion, taking first place into Saturday's competition in the ten-team field. Marian scored 81 points on the day, scoring meet and school records to highlight the meet's opening day.
Marian's first scored event of the day equaled their meet and school record setting event, as the team of
Katie Woods,
Liz Loichinger,
Nora Steele, and
Claire Lange earned a win in the 4x800m relay. Marian lapped multiple teams in their win, and finished the race with a time of 9:12.33, setting the second-fastest time in the NAIA with their A standard effort. The team's time broke Marian's school record by 15 seconds and the CL Championship meet record by 10 seconds, starting the day with an early 10 points.
The Knights earn two qualifiers in both the 60m hurdle and 60m sprint finals following Friday's preliminaries, as
Brooke Coffman,
Nina Marinkovic,
Giorgia Mameli, and
Catalla Jones each earned a top-eight finish. Jones led the Marian efforts in the 60m with a time of 7.88 to earn the three-seed, while Mameli finished sixth overall with a time of 8.04 seconds in the 60m. Coffman enters Saturday as the fifth-seed in the 60m hurdles with her time of 9.22 seconds, and Marinkovic took sixth in prelims with a 9.33 time. Aryeana Fry would finish 11th in the 60m prelims while
Kyla Booker placed 14th in the hurdle prelims.
Marian had three athletes score team points in the weight throw, with
Arriana Benjamin leading the field as she set an NAIA A standard distance with her winning mark of 18.19m. Benjamin's first throw won the event, as she claimed over a 1.50m distance over her teammate
Keeley Hughes who finished as the runner-up. Hughes hit an NAIA A standard with a distance of 16.48m in her runner-up spot, earning an automatic berth to the NAIA Championships.
Nhaydia Watson would claim fourth overall in the weight throw, completing the 23 point event with her 15.20m distance.
After her win in the 4x800m relay,
Claire Lange would return to the track and headline the 600m later in the day, as Marian finished first through third behind the first-year Knight's finish. Lange clocked a time of 1:35.96 for an NAIA A standard in her win, with
Taylor Thomas just over a half second behind her teammate in a second place effort.
Hanna Reuter finished third just one second behind Lange as the trio competed in the same heat, giving Marian the podium finish and 24 team points.
Coffman added to Marian's team score with her seventh place finish in the long jump, hitting a mark of 5.31m.
Hanna Reuter finished just outside of the scorers with a ninth place finish, and
Gina Butz placed 14th.
Lainey Roth placed ninth in the 5000m to lead Marian, while
Josie Feldman finished 16th and
Emily Baker finished 19th. The distance medley relay team would finish the day with a fifth place finish to add three points to the team score, as
Luci Woodrum,
Maya Mundy,
Rosie Barrett, and
Liz Loichinger clocked a time of 12:43.98.
The women's pentathlon also reached its conclusion on Friday, with NIna Marinkovic claiming the win and the All-Crossroads League honor. Marinkovic won the hurdles, high jump, and long jump as she finished with a score of 2954 points, as her efforts in the 800m helped her claim the win.
Holli Reuter finished fourth overall, placing second in the long jump and 800m.
Bella Dean would score three points for the team score with her sixth place finih, getting her best finishes in the hurdles and shot put.
Marian's first events on Saturday will come at 12:30 p.m., with Marian competing for a championship in the triple jump, shot put, and 60m hurdles to begin the final day of the meet.
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