Women's Indoor Track Team Takes MAC Title

The Indoor Track and Field MAC Championship was a success for the Messiah Falcons, to say the least. The women's team captured its third consecutive championship in dominating fashion. Head coach Dale Fogelsanger was honored as the MAC's Indoor Track and Field Coach of the Year, his third straight year to earn the honor. And senior Kristen Bates etched her name into the Messiah College record books with a dominating performance.Bates captured four wins in four events, including a new school indoor record in the high jump. She ran the 55-meter hurdles in just 8.07 seconds, the top mark in the entire nation among Division III schools. To top it all off, she was named the MAC Women's Indoor Field Athlete of the Year.

Other outstanding performances for the women were junior Grace Kaste in the mile, freshman Hillary Pelkey in the shotput, and sophomore Abby McDonald's win in the pole vault.

While the men's team was not as successful, the group still garnered a respectable fourth-place finish. Freshman Tyler Newhook emerged as the MAC Champion in the mile, running a 4:21.95, while teammates Eddy Palmer and Peter Shenk were just seconds behind him. Senior Artie Black finished second in the 5,000 while freshman Aaron Reynolds took third-place in the 400 meter run.

Representing the Falcons at the official 2010 NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field National Championships will be Bates, while the women's distance medley team of Erin Rhodes, Lauren Harte, Brooke Airey, and Grace Kaste, as well as Eddy Palmer (800) have qualified provisionally in their respective events.