• Jill Marois became the first HPU women’s vaulter ever to clear the 4-meter mark
• Marois’ vault of 4.02m (13-2.25) is a top-25 NCAA East mark and is the third-best in Big South history
• Sophomore Makenzi Holmes-DiGiovine tallied a top-40 NCAA East mark and broke her own school record in the discus (49.27m, 161-8)
HIGH POINT, N.C. – Jill Marois put together yet another program-changing performance in the pole vault for the women’s track & field team Friday, becoming the first High Point University women’s vaulter ever to clear the 4-meter mark.
Marois posted a historic mark of 4.02m (13-2.25) at the Big South Triangular to win her second vault title of the 2016 campaign. The vault currently ranks as the No. 23 mark in the NCAA East Region this season and sets her up well for a potential NCAA preliminary berth. It also is the third best mark in Big South history.
The Panthers earned 12 total points in the event, as senior Alyssa Palenchar also notched a new outdoor PR of 3.82m (12-6.25) to finish second.
“Jill and Alyssa both have been attacking their personal bests and the school record all season,” assistant coach/vaults coach Scott Houston said. “Jill is starting to time up some bigger poles and really lining up well – her PRs are a direct result of that. I’m very pleased for them to be reaching these marks with a few weeks to go before conference. I see great potential for both girls as we finish up April and head into May.”
The 12-point performance helped the Purple & White post 137 points and place second in the tri-meet. Liberty won the event (150 points) while Coastal Carolina finished third (101 points).
Sophomore Makenzi Holmes-DiGiovine also broke her own school record Friday in the discus throw, notching a massive mark of 49.27m (161-8) to win the event by more than 15 feet. The throw currently ranks 28th in the NCAA East Region and also sets her up well for a potential NCAA preliminary berth.
“Makenzi has thrown in three events [discus, shot put, hammer throw] for multiple meets in a row to get used to the grind and what it takes to perform at your best and battle through fatigue,” associate head coach Scott Hall said. “This performance today was where that effort truly came to fruition. She was consistent and put together her solid performance in sub-optimal discus conditions. She still has a ways to go but she has potential for some really big throws moving forward.”
In addition to the outstanding vault and discus performances, senior Christine Rickert won her second straight javelin title with a mark of 49.96m (163-11), just missing what would have been the third-straight meet in which she cleared 50 meters. The victory earned HPU seven points, while junior Erika Bridges placed fourth with a personal best mark of 33.38m (109-6). Sophomore Mackenzie Vermette was fifth (32.18m, 105-7) while senior Sara Katherine Kirkpatrick placed eighth.
Bridges also placed second in the high jump with a mark of 1.56m (5-1.25) while senior Erica Herrmann finished third with a season-best jump of 1.51m (4-11.5). In the long jump, junior Amanda Gregory notched a top 2016 jump of 5.55m (18-2.50) to place third while Bridges set her second PR of the day (5.35m, 17-6.75). Junior Alyn Carr was sixth (5.18m, 17-0).
In throws action, senior Jamie Schnuck finished second in the hammer throw with a strong mark of 52.92m (137-07), while Holmes-DiGiovine placed sixth with a personal best hammer mark of 46.92m (153-11). Holmes-DiGiovine finished third in the shot put with a mark of 12.12m (39-9.25) while Schnuck placed fourth with a throw of 11.38m (37-4).
On the track, senior Sarah Bode finished third in the steeplechase with a PR of 11:36.42 and senior Erika Peoples also set a new collegiate best with a time of 11:41.22 in the event while placing fourth.
In the 1500m run, junior Natalia Ocasio placed third with a time of 4:35.92 and fellow junior Cozette Collin notched a new collegiate best time of 4:37.21 and placed fourth. Freshman Keaton Case also notched a PR with a time of 4:48.00 and freshman Janelle Rothacker was sixth in 4:49.26.
Collin also finished third in the 800m run (2:14.54) and Ocasio placed fifth in 2:17.44.
HPU’s 4x100m team of freshman Arianna Coleman, Bridges, Gregory and sophomore Mikaela Campbell crossed the finish line in a season-best time of 48.63 seconds to place second in the event.
In hurdles action, sophomore Ashlynn Schiro finished second in the 100-meter event while tying a season best in 15.01 seconds and fellow sophomore Haley Cianfarini was third in 15.26. Schiro also was second in the 400m hurdles (1:05.13) and fellow sophomore CeAnna Soper placed third in 1:06.32
In the 400m run, both senior Sara Katherine Kirkpatrick (59.69 seconds) and freshman Emmy Geis (1:01.14) posted collegiate bests in the event. Also on the sprints circuit, Coleman placed sixth in the 100m dash with a time of 12.65 seconds while Gregory and Carr placed seventh and eighth respectively within a millisecond of each other (12.75).
Moving forward, the Panthers return to action next weekend (Apr. 22-23) at the Duke Invitational in Durham, N.C.