Barbacci Wins High Jump, Sets Program-Best Pole-Vault Mark at F&M

LANCASTER, Pa.- The Juniata women's track and field team continued the indoor track and field campaign at the Mini-Dip Invitational at Franklin and Marshall College on Saturday. Olivia Barbacci excelled in both of her jumping events, winning the high jump and setting a new program record in the pole vault. 

Barbacci first took part in the pole vault, where she cleared 3.18 meters on her third attempt to earn fourth place in the event. Barbacci set a new program record, overtaking Stephanie Varner's 3.05-meter mark set at the 2008 Landmark Indoor Track and Field Championships at Susquehanna.  

She also claimed her second-consecutive gold medal and third consecutive podium in the high jump, winning with a mark of 1.62 meters. She improved 0.02 meters on last week's mark set at the Moravian Indoor Meet, which was her personal best. She still stands in third place in program history in the event. 

Josie Kelly also competed in the pole vault and high jump. She set a personal best in the high jump with a mark of 1.22 meters, tying for 18th place, while she tied for 16th place in the pole vault with a mark of 2.28 meters. 

Nandee Correia also had a strong showing as she set a new personal record and claimed fifth place in the shot put with a mark of 11.34 meters. Her previous best was 11.25 meters, and she still maintains the fourth-best mark in program history. She also finished in sixth place in the weight throw with a mark of 14.02 meters. Justice Sheaffer also competed in the event, setting a new personal best mark of 7.67 meters as she finished in 39th place. Her previous best was a 6.40-meter mark set at Moravian's meet last week. 

Kelly and Zoe Biles each set a 60-meter time. Biles hit a new personal best with her 8.87 to slot in 38th place. Her previous best was a 9.00 set at Susquehanna in December. Kelly was 58th with a time of 9.77.  

Rebecca Christophel, Camille McRoberts, and Biles also raced in the 300-meters. Chistophel had the team's best time of 46.63 to claim 21st place from a field of 41. It's a new personal record, as she improved on her 8.94 set at the Susquehanna Invitational in 2022. McRobert's first 300-meter time at Juniata was 48.01, as she placed 31st. Biles was close behind in 33rd place with a time of 48.36.  

Christophel and McRoberts also raced in the 600-meters. Christophel's first 600-meter time of the year puts her about 1.5 seconds off her personal best, as she finished in 1:49.30 to earn seventh place. McRoberts was in tenth place with a time of 1:52.24, and she is now second in program history in the event. 

The team of Barbacci, Christophel, Biles, and McRoberts logged Juniata's first 4x200 meter time of the season, finishing in fifth place with a time of 1:56.82.  

The Juniata women's track and field team returns to competition on Friday, February 9th, as Franklin and Marshall host the Blue and White Invitational.