COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – The Franklin & Marshall women's track & field team is off to a tremendous start at the 2022 Centennial Conference Indoor Championships as the Diplomats are sitting in third place after day one. Franklin & Marshall accumulated 25 points on Saturday, highlighted by a silver medal from Emma Steffan (weight throw) and bronze medals for the school record-breaking distance medley relay.
Emma Steffan was one of three scorers for the Diplomats in the weight throw as her new personal best for the event was marked at 14.50 meters, giving her second-team All-Centennial Conference honors. Aspen Mazzatta also set a new personal best with her best throw of 13.10 meters, placing her sixth in the field on Saturday and fourth in the College's record book. Jillian Barger added another top-eight scoring mark with her own personal best throw of 12.95 meters, ranking her fifth in school history.
The distance medley relay shattered the school record set in the previous CC Indoor Championship by nearly 10 seconds. The relay of Lexi Salerno, Sydney Dzenutis, Laura Greene, and Elizabeth O'Connell's time of 12:18.36 earned that group bronze medals. F&M added a fifth-place showing in the 4x200 meter relay as Abby Lienhard, Sydney Dzenutis, Christline Edward, and Tatum Evans finished in a time of 1:49.56 to become the fifth-fastest relay in school history.
Lienhard and Edward also excelled on the track as individuals. Lienhard broke her own school record with a time of 8.22 seconds in the 60 meter dash heats. She will advance to Sunday's final in that event after placing sixth in the preliminaries following her heat victory. Edward turned in a personal-best time of 9.83 seconds as the third qualifier in the 60 meter hurdles. She too will compete in Sunday's final. Just outside of the scoring performances was Freya Lindvall, who finished the 5,000 meters in 12th place with a time of 19:37.42 seconds. That new personal best time makes her the seventh-fastest individual in school history.
The Diplomats added yet another scoring performance from Stephani Franks in the pole vault as she placed sixth at the conference championship. Franks cleared 2.92 meters to pick up key points for her team.
The Centennial Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships will wrap up on Sunday. The day gets started with the women's high jump at 12 p.m. noon and will continue through the 4x400 relay at 4:15 p.m. before the awards are presented.
Franklin & Marshall Scoring Performances
4x200 Relay
5. Abby Lienhard, Sydney Dzenutis, Christline Edward, Tatum Evans – 1:49.56 (fifth in school history)
Distance Medley Relay
3. Lexi Salerno, Sydney Dzenutis, Laura Greene, Elizabeth O'Connell – 12:18.36 (school record)
Weight Throw
2. Emma Steffan – 14.50m (new personal best)
6. Aspen Mazzatta – 13.10m (fourth in school history)
8. Jillian Barger – 12.95m (fifth in school history)
Pole Vault
6. Stephanie Franks – 2.92m
60 Meters (advanced to Sunday's final)
6. Abby Lienhard – 8.22 (improves school record by five-hundredths)
60 Meter Hurdles (advanced to Sunday's final)
3. Christline Edward – 9.83 (fifth in school history)
