LANCASTER, Pa. – The Franklin & Marshall women's indoor track & field team saw Abby Lienhard break her own school record in the 60 meter dash and posted a total of four top 10 times in school history during the opening day of the Centennial Conference Championships. With six scoring performances on the first day - including two bronze medals - the Diplomats currently sit in eighth place with 18.5 team points heading into Sunday.
Lienhard broke her own school record in the 60 meter dash as she posted a time of 8.14 seconds, besting her previous PR by eight-hundredths of a second. However, in a quick preliminary heat session, Lienhard's time placed her 11th in the field and was just outside of making the finals. Glory Edioma did make the finals in the 60 meter hurdles with a time 10.02 seconds where she will run that final on Sunday afternoon. Although outside of the scoring performances on the track, Lucy Olsen's %K time of 19:43.53 makes her the eighth-fastest individual in school history.
The Diplomats scored in each of the three relays, highlighted by a bronze medal during the 4x800 relay. The team of Valerie Fieberg, Annalise Kauffman, Emma Kline, and Sydney Dzenutis posted a time of 9:43.43 in the 4x800 as the Diplomats were defending champions in that event. That time was the third-fastest in school history and got the team on to the podium with the bronze. The 4x200 relay that featured Lienhard, Hope Petralia, Tatum Evans, and Abby Bachman finished with a time of 1:49.57. That was good for sixth place and was additionally the sixth-fastest time in school history. Alysse Danyi, Anna Atticks, Abby Bachman, and Kate Henderson competed on the seventh place DMR (13:18.80).
Jillian Barger's bronze medal finish in the weight throw highlighted the field events as she unleashed a throw of 13.89 meters. In the pole vault, Stephani Franks earned key points with a seventh-place showing after clearing 2.79 meters.
The 2023 Centennial Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships will wrap up on Sunday. The first event will be contested at 11 a.m., but the first Diplomats in action will be at 11:30 a.m. with the men's high jump, women's shot put, and the men's and women's mile.
Franklin & Marshall Saturday Placers & Top 10 Performances
60 Meter Heats
11. Abby Lienhard – 8.14 (school record)
5,000 Meters
14. Lucy Olsen – 19:43.53 (eighth in school history)
60 Meter Hurdles Heats
8. Glory Edioma – 10.02 (finals on Sunday)
4x200 Relay
6. Abby Lienhard, Hope Petralia, Tatum Evans, Abby Bachman – 1:49.57 (sixth in school history)
4x800 Relay
3. Valerie Fieberg, Annalise Kauffman, Emma Kline, Sydney Dzenutis – 9:43.43 (third in school history)
Distance Medley Relay
7. Alysse Danyi, Anna Atticks, Abby Bachman, Kate Henderson – 13:18.80
Pole Vault
7. Stephani Franks – 2.79m
Weight Throw
3. Jillian Barger – 13.89m
