HANOVER, N.H.--The Keene State College track and field team took part in their final warmup for the Little East Conference Championships at the Dartmouth Invitational at Leverone Field House on Saturday.
Katelyn Terry and Kaitlin Wheeler led the way for the Owl women each winning races in impressive fashion, turning in personal bests and post-season qualifying performances.
Terry won the 500 meter run in a time of 1:17.27, a time that ranks her #1 in New England Division III and automatically qualifies her for the Open New England Championship meet and the ECAC Championship meet.
Wheeler set an eight-second personal best in winning the 1000 meter run. Her time of 3:02.49 ranks seventh in New England Division III this season and automatically qualifies her for the Open New England Championship meet and the ECAC Championship meet.
Katelyn Terry also set a new personal best in the triple jump of 10.53 meters placing ninth overall and qualifying her for the New England Division III championship meet in the event. Terry has now qualified for the New England Division III meet in the 400 meterss, 500 meters, 600 meters, 800 meters, as well as the triple jump.
Wheeler and Katelyn Terry joined with Lindsey Terry and Lauren Markoe to run a season best 4x400 meter relay time of 4:07.32 for fifth overall.
The Terry sisters also ran on the 4x200 meter relay team along with Allison Brady and Alyssa Lombardi for a season best performance of 1:52.86 for fourth place in the event.
Lindsey Terry turned in a personal best of 1:01.25 to place 3rd in the 400 meter dash. Her performance qualifies her for the New England Division III Championship meet in the event.
Allison Brady ran her best race of the season thus far to place 3rd in the 800 meter run with a New England Division III qualifying time of 2:24.61.
Lauren Markoe debuted in the 500 meter and 1000 meter races after recovering from knee surgery during the off-season. Markoe placed 4th in the 500 meter run with a time of 1:21.64 qualifying her for the New England Division III Championship meet.
Kaley Mientkiewicz ran a big PR in the mile to place fifth, winning her heat, with a time of 5:23.41, just 0.41 seconds off the New England Division III qualifying standard.
Molly Schaefer placed tenth in the mile with a personal best of 5:25.00 and then came back to run another PR of 2:29.23 in the 800 meter run.
Lindsay Szuch came within 0.67 seconds of the New England Division III standard with her big PR in the 3000 meter run of 10:50.67.
Lucia Martin returned to the pole vault event after not having vaulted all season while recovering from an off-season shoulder injury. Martin placed sixth overall with a vault of 2.75 meters.
Karissa Bergman set a personal best for the indoor shot put with and ECAC qualifying mark of 11.61 meters, and was seventh in the weight throw with a throw of 12.95 meters.
The Keene State men also had several outstanding peformances at Dartmouth on Saturday.
Quentin Bazarnicki broke his own Keene State College indoor pole vault record with a jump of 3.97 meters to place tenth. Bazarnicki's previous college record was 3.85 meters set earlier this season. Bazarnicki also had his season best triple jump of 12.71 meters to place 9th the the event. Bazarnicki will be shooting for the new England Division III qualifyng standard of 12.80 meters next week.
Eric Dietz continued his sizzling season with lifetime bests in the 400 meter dash and the 200 meter dash. Dietz was fourth in the 400 meters with a New England Division III qualifying time of 51.26. Dietz then had another New England Division III qualifying performance of 23.10 seconds in the 200 meter dash.
A week after breaking the school record in the 500 meters, Dietz' time in the 200 meter dash is only 0.15 seconds off the Keene State College indoor record of 22.95 held by Matt Zaffini. Dietz recently set the college record in the 500m event.
Ryan Brady ran a season best of 8:47.20 in the 3000 meter run to place fourth and qualify for the New England Division III championship meet and the ECAC championship meet.
James Stergis-Cox ran a New England Division III qualifying time of 51.48 in the 400 meter dash.
Ryan Milewski ran a season best of 4:31.00 to place eighth in the mile. Milewski also place eighth in the 800 meter run with a time of 2:01.15.
Bazarnicki, Dietz, Stergis-Cox, and Milewski teamed up to place fourth in the 4x400 meter relay with a time of 4:29.95.
Ben Keach placed seventh in the shot put with a throw of 15.18 meters.
Phil Parent ran a personal best of 8:56.42 in the 3000 meter run narrowly missing the New England Division III standard of 8:55.
The Owls are back in action at the LEC Conference & New England Alliance Championship meet next Saturday, February 14 in Providence, Rhode Island.
