February 19, 2023

MARIAN WINS SECOND STRAIGHT INDOOR CROSSROADS LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP

Marion, Ind. – For the second straight season, the Marian women's track and field team has won the Crossroads League Indoor Track and Field Championship, as the Knights dominance over the league continued with their victory Saturday afternoon. Marian scored 183.5 over the two-day meet, defeating Taylor who placed second with 151.5 points. On the final day of the championship the Knights had 10 All-Crossroads League performances, taking three championshps by Erin Oleksak, Hanna Reuter, and 4x400m relay team all team.

Marian began their second day of the conference meet with the women's high jump, as the Knights earned the top five spots. Erin Oleksak won the league championship with a 1.70m jump to hit the NAIA A standard, while Jai-Lyn Norwood and Gina Butz both tied for fifth place clearing 1.59m. While high jump was finishing up, Alli Taylor tied for fifth in the pole vault after clearing 2.77m and moving up to eighth in school records.

The action then began on the track, as Luci Woodrum finished with a 12th place finish in a time of 5:37.52 in the mile. The Knights then picked up 12 points in the 60m hurdles as Oleksak won the finals with a new school record and NAIA A standard time of 8.56. DeJae Hudson finished in a time of 9.35 to take seventh. Shortly after, Marian scored big in the 400m, racking up 21 points as Hanna Reuter won in a time of 59.19, while Norwood came in second at 59.23. Taylor Thomas also earned points for Marian by finishing in sixth.

Moving back over to field events, Norwood led Marian in the triple jump with a jump of 11.78m to finish runner up, followed by Shirmara Anderson in sixth and Hanna Reuter in 11th. In the final women's field event of the weekend, Arriana Benjamin claimed second in the shot put after an NAIA A standard throw of 14.06m. Nhaydia Watson and Landry Munoz finished in 17th and 20th, respectively.

With the action focused back on the track, Giorgia Mameli and MaKayla Melvin scored for the Knights in the 60m. Mameli clocked a time of 7.73 to take third, while Melvin finished in fifth with a time of 7.87. Rounding out the sprints, Marian earned 12 points in the 200m led behind Mameli's third place finish in a time of 25.52. Oleksak crossed the finish line in 25.68 for fifth place and Melvin placed seventh in a time of 26.35.

Next in the 800m, Nora Steele led Marian finishing in a time of 2:21.79 to finish in third, followed by Katie Woods in 14th and Kylee Lewellen in 22nd. Liz Loichinger scored an eighth place finish in the 1000m with her 3:13.87 time, while Sabrina Siems finished in 12th with a 3:19.50 time, and Woodrum in 14th. In the 3000m, Ali Ray posted the best time for Marian at 10:37.43 to take 10th, while Lindsay Huston came in 13th and Mari Hudson finished in 23rd.

In the final event of the meet, the women's 4x400m relay team took first, beating out Indiana Wesleyan. Melvin, Thomas, Reuter, and Mameli made up the Knights' team, finishing the race with a 4:01.97 time.

After the meet concluded, Jai-Lyn Norwood was named the Crossroads League Female Field Athlete of the Year, while Marian's head coach Michael Holman was named the Crossroads League Coach of the Year.

Marian will now begin training for the NAIA National Championships, which begin on March 2 in Brookings, South Dakota, held once again at South Dakota State University.