• Senior Jamie Schnuck broke her own school record in the weight throw with a mark of 15.80m (51-1)
• HPU pole vaulters Alyssa Palenchar and Jill Marois opened the season with top-5 finishes
• Auburn transfer Makenzie Holes-Digiovine placed sixth in the shot put (12.03m, 39-5.75)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Senior thrower Jamie Schnuck started her 2015-16 season off with a bang Saturday, breaking her own school record in the weight throw to lead the Panthers at the JDL Kickoff Classic at the JDL Fast Track.
Scnuck usurped her previous record of 15.46m with a throw of 15.80m (51-1) Saturday in Winston. The mark earned her a second-place finish in the event and some excellent momentum heading into January competition.
“Jamie is one of the best stories to come out of our program in my time here,” head coach Mike Esposito said. “She has worked so hard and her improvement over the past three years has been impressive. We are very proud of her and can’t wait to see what’s in store for her this season.”
In addition to Schuck’s strong effort, HPU’s pole vault unit posted a pair of top-5 finishes to lead the Purple & White in Winston-Salem. Senior Alyssa Palenchar placed second in the event with a mark of 3.50m (11-5.75) while fellow senior Jill Marois cleared the 3.50m bar on her second attempt to finish fourth.
In addition, junior Madison Depner finished t-7th while matching her indoor collegiate best with a mark of 3.20m (10-6). Redshirt-junior Katie Benavente was 17th (2.75m, 9-0.25).
On the throws circuit, Auburn transfer Makenzie Holmes-Digiovine posted a solid sixth-place showing in the shot put in her HPU debut. She notched a throw of 12.03m (39-5.75) to earn the finish.
“We were pleased with the results from our vaulters today and the results of the 5-step approach they are utilizing,” Esposito said. “Makenzie also performed well in one of her non-specialty events.”
Junior Amanda Gregory set a new indoor PR in the long jump en route to a seventh-place finish. The Wilmington, N.C., native posted a mark of 5.32m (17-5.50). Sophomore Kela Seals was 11th (5.17m, 16-11.50) and junior Alyn Carr finished 17th (4.87m, 15-11.75).
In other jumps action, junior Erika Bridges finished eighth in the high jump (1.55m, 5-1) and freshman Charlotte Morrow began her HPU career with a solid ninth-place showing (1.50m, 4-11). Senior Sara Katherine Kirkpatrick was 13th with a jump of 1.45m (4-9).
Freshman Arianna Coleman finished 13th in the triple jump (10.81m, 35-5.75) in her HPU debut while Seals was 18th (9.98m, 32-9).
A quintet of Panthers competed in the preliminaries of the 60m hurdles. Sophomore Ashlynn Schiro led HPU with a 13th-place showing (9.34 seconds), while fellow sophomore Mikaela Campbell was 23rd in 9.75. Sophomore Haley Cianfarini was 25th (9.80) and Bridges (9.95) placed 28th. Kirkpatrick placed 35th in 10.64.
In the 60m dash, Carr finished 37th in a collegiate PR of 8.15 seconds and Gregory was 39th (8.16).
After Saturday’s action, HPU takes an extended competition break before returning to JDL for the Wake Forest Invitational on January 16.