Women's Track and Field Finish Landmark Champs in Sixth; Barbacci Sets Program's 2nd Best 400 Hurdle Time

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa.- The Juniata women's track and field team concluded Landmark Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships by moving up a spot from 2023, claiming sixth place. Olivia Barbacci earned her second medal of the weekend with bronze in the 400-meter hurdles, moving to second place in program history in the event.

Barbacci earned third place in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:05.43. The new personal record moves her up two spots in the Juniata record book, as she surpassed Meredith Troutman (2004 Bison Outdoor Classic at Bucknell) and Jessica Sprankle (2000 MAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Widener), who set times of 1:05.56. Melissa Johnson holds a program record of 1:04.94, set at the 2009 Gator Invitational at Allegheny. Barbacci contributed 16 points to the team score across the weekend individually.Beck Mensch also raced in the event, finishing in 15th with a time of 1:26.29. 

Nandee Correia earned fourth place in the shot put with a mark of 11.49 meters on her third attempt in the preliminaries. She earned five points from the event and 11 from both days this weekend. Emma Coolidge earned half a point as she tied for eighth place in the event with a mark of 10.41 meters on her second attempt in the prelims. Kaleah Leisher set a PR in 11th place with a mark of 10.06 meters. Her previous best throw was 9.49 meters, set at the Gettysburg Mason-Dixon Classic in April. Chloe Sauer was 13th with a mark of 9.93 meters. 

Leisher was fifth in the discus throw to earn four points in that event with a mark of 34.57 meters on her third throw in the prelims. It's a new PR, and her previous best mark was 33.70 meters set at last weekend's Blue Jay Tune-Up at Elizabethtown. Correia was 11th with a mark of 34.58 meters, Sauer was 19th with a 27.91 meter throw, and Coolidge was 25th with a mark of 22.63 meters.  

The 4X400 meter relay team of Rebecca Christophel, Camille McRoberts, Ashley Alfree, and Barbacci claimed fifth in the event with a time of 4:14.62 for four points. 

Alfree, Barbacci, Josie Kelly, and Coolidge raced in the 4X100 meters and claimed sixth place for three points with a time of 53.18.  

Rebecca Christophel earned one point in the 800 meters as she set a new personal best time of 2:23.12, winning her heat and finishing in eighth place overall. Her previous best time was 2:23.24, set at the 2023 Paul Kaiser Invitational at Shippensburg. McRoberts also achieved a PR in the event with a time of 2:28.62 to earn 16th place. Her previous best time was 2:29.77, set at the Shippensburg Mid-Week Meet last month.  

Ashley Anderson set a personal best in the 400 meters with a time of 1:25.81 to finish 19th. Her previous best time was 1:26.59, set last week at Elizabethtown.  

Alfree and Kelly competed in the high jump. Alfree earned 14th place by clearing 1.42 meters on her third attempt to level her career best, while Kelly was unable to clear 1.47 meters. 

The Juniata women's track and field team earned sixth place in 2024 with a final points tally of 47 points. The team was seventh with 35.5 points in 2023, and this marks the third straight year of points improvement.