Women’s Track Takes Fourth at HCAC Indoor Championships
ANDERSON, Ind. – The women’s track and field team ended its first Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Indoor Championships in dramatic fashion, with a school record-breaking performance in the 4x400-meter relay.
ANDERSON, Ind. – The women's track and field team ended its first Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Indoor Championships in dramatic fashion, with a school record-breaking performance in the 4x400-meter relay. DC tied Manchester for fourth in the team standings, receiving 75 points on the day.
Rose-Hulman took top honors at the meet with 117 points, followed by Franklin (105.50), Hanover (100), Defiance and Manchester. Anderson (57), Mount St. Joseph (39.50), Earlham (29), Transylvania (17), and Bluffton (7) rounded out the standings.
Katie Heitkamp, Erika DeBos, Kali George and Courtney Swabb composed the record-breaking 4x400-meter relay team, which crossed the line in 4:18.82 to edge the previous school record, set in 2002, by 1.58 seconds.
It was the second school record of the day for Heitkamp, who cleared 3.10 meters (10' 2") in the pole vault to break her own school record, set just one week ago, by six inches. Teammate, Emily Cole, secured fifth place in the event with a mark of 2.65 meters.
DC's Ashlyn Howell and Kali George were terrific in the jumping events. Howell placed second in the long jump with a personal-record mark of 4.87 meters, while George placed seventh with a personal-record leap of 4.64 meters. The duo placed second and fourth in the triple jump respectively, with each posting their best performance of the season.
Ericha Griep, Katie Tibbits, Kaye Bockbrader and Kate Busto teamed up to post the second-fastest distance medley relay time in program history, crossing the line in 13:57.98 for a third-place finish at the meet.
In sprinting events, Marlea Rolander led the way for Defiance, placing second in the 55-meter hurdles with a season-best time of 8.91 seconds, and finished fourth in the 55-meter dash at 8.01 seconds.
The track and field team will return to Anderson in one week to participate in the Fred Wilt Memorial Invitational, which is set for 3:00 p.m.