Written by: Zachary Worstell (zdw001@marietta.edu)
The Marietta College Track and Field indoor season saw some great improvements by individual members of both the men’s and women’s groups. While Marietta had lost All-American Addison Painter who made an appearance at the NCAA Division III Indoor Championship, the Pioneers have had many members in the top 10 through every meet. One member, Emily Thompson, joins Painter and is being sent to the NCAA Championship this year.
The season began in December with the Marietta First Glimpse Meet at the Dyson Baudo Recreation Center. The men’s team placed in first out of five teams while the women placed in third out of four teams. The Pioneers notched six wins in total, two of which came from Freshmen Gunner Fertig in the high jump and the 55-meter hurdles.
Marietta’s next appearance came in January at Muskingum University. The women placed 9th out of 13 teams while the men placed 8th out of 10 teams. The pole vaulters stood out at Muskingum as Cael McCutcheon and Sage Landis finished first and second respectively. The tandem both set new personal records as they cleared 4.42 meters at the event.
The following week the Track & Field team traveled to the Spire Midwest Open in Geneva Ohio. This open featured athletes from both Division II and Division III schools. Emily Thompson notched a fourth place in the women’s pole vault clearing 3.60 meters. She finished behind three Division II athletes and was the highest a Division III athlete placed in all events.
The team was able to collect two other top ten finishes with Fertig placing fifth in men’s pole vault and a tenth in the weight throw. However, Marietta was a non-scoring team in the final standings. Fortunately, many athletes set new personal records at their respective events.
The following weekend the team traveled to Youngstown State University for their Mid Major Invitational. The pole vaulters continued their dominance this season with McCutcheon winning the men’s title with a height of 4.51 meters. This was a new personal record for McCutcheon. Thompson also won the pole-vaulting title for the women’s division clearing 3.55 meters. In addition, Marietta placed in the top ten in four other events including a third-place finish in the 500-meter dash from Michaela Hieronymus.
In February, the Pioneers visited Ashland for the Ashland University Jud Logan Light Giver Open. Marietta’s best performances came by Sage Landis with a fifth place in the men’s pole vault as he cleared 4.45 meters. McCutcheon finished in tenth clearing 4.30 meters. The inclusion of Division I schools added stiff competition to the open, however the Pioneers were able to set many new personal records. Although, they were not able to finish as a scoring team in the open.
The following weekend featured exclusively Division III schools at Otterbein’s All-Ohio Championship invitation. The Pioneer women finished 9th out of 15 scoring 25 points while the men finished 14th out of 16 with 15 points. Thompson finished first in the women’s pole vault as she cleared 3.78 meters. Emma Fehrman finished 2nd in the triple jump while Isabella Poling placed third in the 5000-meter run earning points for Marietta. The men’s pole-vaulting team continued its momentum as McCutcheon placed 2nd clearing 4.51 meters and Landis finished 3rd passing 4.41 meters.
For the final weekend before the OAC finals Marietta put up a strong performance at the Muskie Meet #4 this time finishing in 4th in both the men’s and the women’s.
On the first day of the OAC Indoor Championship Thompson won gold with a Marietta College record performance. She took the title at the women’s pole vault clearing 3.89 meters. Landis finished third in the men’s pole vault at 4.58 meters while McCutcheon cleared 4.53 meters finishing fourth.
On day two, Marietta’s Fehrman successfully defended her indoor triple jump title earning a mark of 11.23 meters. With two individual champions the women placed in 6th out of 8 teams with 28 points. Mount Union came in first of the women’s division with 188 points.
On the men’s side Marietta finished last of the ten teams scoring 12 points while Mount Union was in first place with 178 points.
Before the outdoor track and field season starts late this March, Marietta looks towards the NCAA Championship. The Pioneers have elected Emily Thompson to represent them at the NCAA Division III Indoor Championships which take place on March 14th and 15th in Rochester New York.
