• Senior Jill Marois broke her pole vault school record for the second-straight meet (4.03m, 13-2.5)
• Fellow senior Alyssa Palenchar also set a new pole vault personal best (3.93m, 12-10.75)
• Sophomore Makenzi-Holmes DiGiovine placed fifth in the discus (48.37m, 158-8)
DURHAM, N.C. – Senior Jill Marois continued her incremental climb into HPU history with another record-breaking performance in the pole vault Saturday, leading the women’s track & field team in final day action at the Duke Invitational.
After setting a new record of 4.02m (13-2.25) at last weekend’s Big South Triangular, Marois upped her mark by another .01 meters Saturday, clearing 4.03m (13-2.5) to place fourth in an excellent field.
Fellow vaulting senior Alyssa Palenchar also put together a superb performance in Durham, clearing her personal best mark by a significant margin. After vaulting 3.82m (12-6.25) last weekend, Palenchar cleared the 3.93m bar (12-10.75) on her third and final attempt Saturday to keep her excellent senior progression going.
Marois and Palenchar are ranked No. 1-2 on the Big South performance list with the conference championship looming in less than two weeks.
On the throws circuit, sophomore Makenzi Holmes-DiGiovine followed up her school record-breaking effort from last weekend with another solid performance in the discus. Her mark of 48.37m (158-8) on her second throw earned her a fifth-place showing amongst a strong group of throwers. Holmes-DiGiovine is ranked No. 1 in the Big South and No. 33 in the NCAA East Region with her 49.27m (161-8) throw from last week.
Holmes-DiGiovine also finished 11th in the shot put with a throw of 11.74m (38-6.25).
In distance action, freshman Janelle Rothacker set a new PR in the 1500m run (4:46.84) and senior Lindsey Siska also posted a new collegiate best during a strong run in the 5000-meter event (18:24.81).
Junior heptathlete Erika Bridges tied her season-best jump of 1.60m (5-3) during a 10th-place showing in the event, while freshman Arianna Coleman placed 17th in the triple jump (10.22m, 33-6.5).
Coleman also finished 25th in the 200m dash with an outdoor PR of 25.82 seconds while Bridges placed 41st (27.51).
In the javelin throw, freshman Mackenzie Vermette earned a sixth-place finish with a mark of 29.73m (97-6).
The Panthers return to action next weekend (Apr. 28-30) at the world famous Penn Relays in Philadelphia, Pa.