Four-Peat: Point Park wins RSC Women's Indoor T&F Championship again
Four-Peat: Point Park wins RSC Women's Indoor T&F Championship again
RESULTS
LOGAN, Ohio -- For the fourth time in the four years since the sport was adopted in conference, Point Park (Pa.) University won the 2021 River States Conference Women's Indoor Track & Field Championship from the Chieftain Center in Logan, Ohio, on Saturday.
The Pioneers posted a team-score of 208.16 to top the field of eight teams competing for the title. Carlow (Pa.) University made a major move in the sport this year and took runner-up honors with 172.33 points. Midway (Ky.) University was third with 95.
The meet had 20 events with 14 on the track and six in the field. As the championship wore on, it shaped up as Point Park and Carlow vying for the team win. The Pioneers were able to get the lead and keep it down the stretch to for their fourth straight win since the inaugural indoor championship in 2018.
Point Park head coach Jim Spisak was named RSC Women's Indoor Track & Field Coach of the Year. Carlow claimed the rest of the individual awards with freshman Keri Lechner taking home RSC Outstanding Women's Indoor Track Athlete of the Year and Newcomer of the Year. Teammate Olivia Miller, a senior, was named RSC Outstanding Women's Indoor Field Athlete of the Year.
Lechner starred on the track with event wins in the 60 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters and 60-meter hurdles. She also helped the Celtics to a win in the 4x400 relay and was second in the long jump and fifth in the high jump on the field side of things.
Miller racked up victories in the high jump with a meet record and the long jump, and she was second in the triple jump. Miller was also ninth in the shot put. On the track, she was second in the 60-meter hurdles, sixth in the 600 and ran a leg of the DMR that finished sixth.
WVU Tech placed fourth with 69 points followed by Ohio Christian with 66. Brescia (Ky.) (55.5), IU Kokomo (42) and Rio Grande (Ohio) (33) rounded out the team standings. Click the results link above for full results of the meet.
There were six women's records that were broken throughout the meet. Lexi Jackson from IU Kokomo set a record in the 5,000 meters at 18:24, the first track event of the day. Stefanie Meacham from WVU Tech set a record in the 3,000-meter race walk at 16:12. Four records fell in the field with Rio Grande's Kaila Barr breaking her own record in the weight throw (15.64 meters), Alexia Schofield from Midway in the triple jump (11.73 meters), Nevaeah Brown from Midway in the pole vault (3.36 meters) and Olivia Miller from Carlow in the high jump (1.66 meters).
Also named was the RSC Women's Indoor Track & Field Champions of Character Team. One individual from each school was nominated by their coach for best representing the NAIA's core values of respect, responsibility, integrity, servant leadership and sportsmanship.
2021 RIVER STATES CONFERENCE WOMEN'S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIP
Feb. 20, 2021 at Chieftain Center -- Logan, Ohio
Women's Team Champion – Point Park
Women's Team Runnerup -- Carlow
Women's Individual Awards
Coach of the Year -- Jim Spisak, Point Park
Track Athlete of the Year – Keri Lechner, Carlow
Field Athlete of the Year – Olivia Miller, Carlow
Newcomer of the Year – Keri Lechner, Carlow
Team Standings
1. Point Park (Pa.) 208.16
2. Carlow (Pa.) 172.33
3. Midway (Ky.) 95
4. WVU Tech 69
5. Ohio Christian 66
6. Brescia (Ky.) 55.5
7. IU Kokomo 42
8. Rio Grande (Ohio) 33
Champions of Character Team
Brescia University -- Brittany Lear
Carlow University -- Olivia Miller
Indiana University East -- Brooke Perreira
Indiana University Kokomo -- Hailey Law
Midway University -- Nevaeh Brown
Ohio Christian University -- Morgan Maffett
Point Park University -- Selena Canello
University of Rio Grande -- Kaila Barr
WVU Tech -- Kara Sandusky