NEVILLE ISLAND, Pa. -- School records fell, many PRs were achieved and some near misses for NAIA nationals occurred for Point Park University women's track and field at the RMU Benson/Hodge Memorial Invitational on Friday. It was the final tuneup before the River States Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships that the Pioneers are hosting at the same venue of the P3R Track & Field Complex on April 25-26.
The women's 4x100 relay squad posted one of the three school records that were set on the day. That was with Emma Roemer, Diamond Rush, Natalea Hillen and Mya Greschner running a time of 47.86 seconds for second place. It was one of several near misses for NAIA nationals as that time was just over one tenth of a second away from nationals qualification.
Mya Greschner not only anchored that school-record relay, but she also set the school record in the long jump. The transfer from Carlow place first with a leap of 5.49 meters.
Diamond Rush was part of the record relay and also set an individual record herself. That came in the 200 meters, where her time of 24.85 seconds was just 0.05 seconds away from the NAIA standard of 24.80 seconds. The transfer from Tennessee Tech is the first women's runner to go under 25 seconds in team history.
Allison Plassio was another Pioneers athlete to narrowly miss nationals. Building on her previous PR of 2:20 at Bucknell last weekend, she ran a new PR of 2:17.48, which came within two seconds of the NAIA standard of 2:16. That placed second to a runner from Duquesne.
Not far behind in the 800 was Jana Schmid at 2:19, one of three PRs in the event for Point Park. Olivia Hare ran 2:26, and Cassondra O'Connor turned in a PR of 2:27.
The 110-meter hurdles had three PRs for Point Park as well with Emma Roemer second place for a PR of 14.81. Right behind was Hillen running 14.82 for third place. Hannah Bond ran a PR of 17.20.
Karen Rios had a pair of PRs on the day running the 400 hurdles in 1:12 and the 400 meter dash at 1:03.55.
Emma Pavelek placed second in the high jump clearing 1.60 meters. Nyla Rozier was fourth with a PR of 1.50 while Makayla Rice debuted in the event at 1.45 for another PR.
Luchama Lubin put forth a career best in the triple jump leading the Pioneers in sixth place. She jumped 10.46 meters. Pavelek also had a PR of 10.22 for seventh with Rice at 9.87 meters for eighth.
Eden McElaney continued her progress in the javelin throwing 35.63 meters for fifth place. That was a PR and within half a meter of the school record. Lina Single threw 33.50 meters for sixth place.
Point Park had three in the top 10 of the long jump. After Greschner's school record placed first at 5.49 meters, Reomer was second at 5.45 meters and Pavelek ninth at 4.93 meters.
