HPU Women’s Track Completes Day One In Raleigh And Rock Hill

• Senior Leah Anne Wirfel placed 10th in a strong 5000m field in Raleigh while setting a new PR of 17:22.43
• The Panthers placed four student-athletes in the top-10 of the pole vault at the Winthrop Invitational
• At Winthrop, junior Jamie Schnuck set a new personal best in the hammer throw while finishing seventh (44.76m, 146-10)

Raleigh Relays

RALEIGH, N.C. – Senior Leah Anne Wirfel set a new PR by more than 30 seconds in the 5000m run to lead the High Point University women’s track & field team on day one at the prestigious Raleigh Relays at the Paul Derr Track Complex.

Wirfel finished 10th in a strong 5000m field while setting a new collegiate PR with a time of 17:22.43. Her previous outdoor college PR in the event was 17:55.38.

Also in Raleigh, senior Emily Fischer placed 82nd in the 400m dash (1:00.50) and sophomore Jessica Wise (1:03.72) finished 112th.

Junior Julia Zautcke placed 38th in the 10000m run in a time of 38:41.04.

Winthrop Invitational

ROCK HILL, S.C. – The High Point University women’s track & field team earned four top-10 finishes in the pole vault on Friday at the Winthrop Invitational.

Junior Jill Marois led the way for HPU with a third-place finish and a mark of 3.35m (10-11.75) after clearing the bar on her first try. Fellow junior Alyssa Palenchar finished fifth while also registering a mark of 3.35m while senior Catelyn Griffin also cleared the 3.35m bar to place seventh.

Sophomore Madison Depner placed 10th with a vault of 3.20m (10-6) and senior Ashton Kirby was 17th with a mark of 2.75m (9-0.25).

In throws action, junior Jamie Schnuck set a new PR with a throw of 44.76m (146-10) to finish seventh in the hammer throw.

On the jumps circuit, freshman Ashlynn Schiro earned a ninth-place finish in the long jump with a mark of 5.08m (16-8) while sophomore Amanda Gregory was 11th with a mark of 5.04m (16-6.25). Freshman Kela Seals placed 27th with a jump of 4.75m (15-7).

Junior Sara Katherine Kirkpatrick earned a 14th-place finish in the hepathlon with 3587 points while sophomore Erika Bridges finished 17th with 2781 points. Kirkpatrick placed fifth in the 800m portion of the multi-event (2:31.34), while Bridges tied for fourth place in the high jump (1.58m, 5-2.25).

Freshman Haley Cianfarini finished 22nd in the 100m hurdles (16.34 seconds) while fellow Fab Four freshman Mikaela Campbell was 44th in the 100m dash in 13.49 seconds. Campbell placed 57th in the 200m dash in a time of 28:06.

The Panthers wrap up competition in Raleigh and Rock Hill on Saturday.