BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- Senior pole vaulter Abby Schaffer recorded the top height ever in NCAA Division III history, clearing 4.22 meters (13 feet, ten inches) to lead the Moravian College women's outdoor track & field team at the non-scoring Greyhound Invitational at Timothy Breidegam Track & Rocco Calvo Field Friday and Saturday.
Schaffer broke the school record, meet record and Landmark Conference record with her ECAC qualifying vault, which also moved her to the top of the 2012 Track & Field Results Reporting System list to qualify for the NCAA Division III National Championships. Those women ranked in the top 22 for individuals and top 16 for relays at the end of the season will compete at the national meet. Schaffer's mark is also the 13th best vault of the year at any level of the NCAA.
Sophomore Allison Vanek was tied for third in the pole vault at an ECAC qualifying height of 3.45 meters (11 feet, 3 3/4 inches), which is tied for 30th on the TFRRS list while freshman Hailey Kester cleared the same height but was tied for fifth based on the number of jumps. Freshman Dana Fineman was eighth with an ECAC qualifying height of 3.30 meters (ten feet, ten inches).
Junior Micah Leonard was the runner-up in the triple jump at an ECAC qualifying distance of 11.29 meters (37 feet, 1/2 inch), and she took third in the long jump at 5.38 meters (17 feet, eight inches). Vanek was ninth in the long jump at 5.13 meters (16 feet, ten inches) while Kester placed ninth in the triple jump with a distance of 10.45 meters (34 feet, 3 1/2 inches).
Moravian's 4x100-meter relay team of senior Lisa Williamson and freshmen Morgan Redmond, Brielle Sutter and Brianna Wright finished fifth in an ECAC qualifying time of 50.06 seconds. Williamson was also seventh in the 100-meter dash finals in 12.93 seconds, and she placed eighth in the 200-meter in an ECAC qualifying time of 25.87 seconds.
Senior Cadee Rockwell was ninth in the 1,500-meter run with a time of 4:52.84 while senior Kristina Ruggiero placed tenth in the 800-meter run in 2:19.86.
Moravian's next scheduled action will be on Thursday, April 26th when Schaffer competes at the Penn Relays. The full squad will be back in action on Saturday and Sunday, April 28th and 29th as the Greyhounds host the 2012 Landmark Conference Championships at Timothy Breidegam Track & Rocco Calvo Field.
