BEREA, Ohio – The Malone University track & field team prepares for the conference championship meet in two weeks with the Sparky Invitational at Baldwin Wallace University on Saturday. The Pioneer men were fifth of nine teams and the women sixth out of eleven participating squads. The host Yellow Jackets won the men's standings and Cleveland State University women's track & field were victorious.
 
Rylee Yocum entered the program top-ten list for the 3000-meter steeplechase with a race-winning time of 11:29.60. Behind her in second was Jenna Cassidy (11:40.36). There were three wins for Malone on Saturday after the Pioneers swept the 10,000-meter run. Carolyn Miller (41:23.33) and Michael Katula (33:55.56) won the women's and men's races, respectively. In the men's 3000-meter steeplechase, Xander Heil (9:37.78) was the top man in second and Yahya Jawadi (9:43.45) was third overall.
 
Me'zel Square-Ward represented Malone with a second-place finish in the triple jump at 13.70 meters (44' 11.50"). The women's 4x100-meter relay team of Amber Morris, Allea Graves, Abigail Blaz and Macey Hicks were runners-up as well with a time of 48.69 seconds. Graves also led the Pioneers in the 200-meter dash (25.68 seconds) and 400-meter dash (57.80 seconds).
 
Top fives in the men's track events included Hayden Schmidt with a third in the 1500-meter race (3:58.38), Alex Swinehart with a fourth in the 110-meter hurdles (16.09 seconds in the prelims), Eric Dehmer with a fourth in the 400-meter dash (50.41 seconds) and Chase Balko with a fifth in the 5000-meter run (15:43.12). Brendan Pak reached the 100-meter dash finals with a time of 11.16 seconds (eighth).
 
On the women's side, Kristin Yeager led the way with a fourth-place finish in the 1500-meter run with a time of 4:51.83 while Kylee Gray was also in the event with a seventh-place time of 4:56.87. Cara Pipitone was eighth overall in the 400-meter hurdle event at 1:10.04.
 
In other field events, Malone was led by Silas Miller in the high jump in seventh (1.81 meters / 5' 11.25"), Aiden Mastaso with an eighth in the discus (43.29 meters / 142' 0.00") and a ninth in the shot put (13.59 meters / 44' 7.00") and Jaclyn Jundzilo eighth in the women's shot put (11.42 meters / 37' 5.75").
 
The Pioneers will compete in the Walsh Invitational in Alliance, Ohio on Thursday, April 24 for their final tune-up prior to the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Championships.