Story Links Youngstown, OH. – As the chilly weather settled outside, the Wheeling University Indoor Track & Field team brought the heat inside during the 2024 Youngstown State IceBreaker. Kicking off the Indoor Track season with this event for the fifth consecutive year, the young team showcased a strong performance. The throwers stood out prominently, […]
Youngstown, OH. – As the chilly weather settled outside, the Wheeling University Indoor Track & Field team brought the heat inside during the 2024 Youngstown State IceBreaker. Kicking off the Indoor Track season with this event for the fifth consecutive year, the young team showcased a strong performance. The throwers stood out prominently, securing six top 20 placements and gaining momentum as they head into the break.
Leading the effort for the Cardinals was sophomore Mariah Pelkey, who achieved a career-best performance. She contributed to two of her team’s five top 20 finishes, including a personal record. This personal best was in the Weight Throw, where she placed 10th with a distance of 11.20 meters, marking the Cardinals’ highest individual finish of the day. After surpassing 10 meters on her first two attempts, it was her final throw that secured her spot in the top 10, increasing her distance to 11.20 meters, an improvement of .46 meters. Additionally, she finished 19th in the Women’s Shot Put during the day’s last throwing event with a throw of 9.36 meters, capping off an impressive outing in the thrower’s pit.
Pelkey’s standout performance marked just the beginning of a noteworthy day for the Cardinals in the field. In the Women’s Pole Vault, graduate student Keala McCurry continued from where she left off, finishing 11th overall and 5th among NCAA DII competitors. She cleared 3.25 meters on her first try, falling just .26 meters short of her MEC record from the previous season. Although Pelkey and McCurry were the only two field competitors that day, their contributions were significant, resulting in three of the six top 20 finishes. As the focus shifted to the track, Sydney Hambel and the distance runners kept the momentum going.
Hambel competed in the 5000 Meter Dash, achieving a 17th place finish with a time of 18:51.33 to start the day. Next up were the sprinters, led by senior Shannon Farrow in the 60-Meter Dash. Farrow finished 13th overall, placing third among NCAA DII athletes with a time of 7.90 seconds. Deja Ryals completed the same event in 24th place, clocking in at 8.06 seconds. Mid-distance events followed, with Bre’Ya Clopper finishing 42nd in the 400-Meter Dash at a time of 1:06.32. The last top 20 finish of the day was achieved by Ryals, who placed 18th in the 200-Meter Dash with a time of 26.61 seconds, leading the effort in that event.
The Wheeling University Women’s Indoor Track & Field team is set to return to competition on Friday, January 10th, at the Capital Alumni Invitational.
