RICHMOND, Ind. – The Franklin track and field teams hit the road for a rare Thursday night competition, taking part in the Earlham College Duals at Darrell Beane Stadium.
Franklin was one of four teams involved in the competition, joining conference rivals Earlham and Mount St. Joseph, as well as NCAA Division II member Notre Dame College (Ohio).
One school record fell as the Grizzlies captured three event titles and a slew of runner-up finishes on the afternoon. The FC women picked up 43 points while the men earned 18 points on the night.
In the first relay of the day, the Grizzlies' sprint medley squad of Emily Walker, Sarah Miller, Morgan Clarke and Jayla Callens etched their names in the Franklin record books. The quartet clocked in with a time of 1:57.82, taking second place overall.
Franklin captured their first two event wins by sweeping the hurdles. Sophomore Matt Stienke blew past the field to a time of 15.66 seconds in the 110 hurdles. Later in the day, Stienke placed fifth in the 400 hurdles with a clip of 1:07.82.
Kesley Bowling picked up the first of two event wins in the 100 hurdles with a time of 17.07 seconds. Bowling would add another first-place finish in the long jump with a leap of 4.94 meters, as well as a third-place finish in the triple jump (9.83m).
Freshman Hunter Fields collected a pair of runner-up finishes in the field, taking second in both the shot put (8.82m) and the high jump (1.44m). Noah Dahlquist collected second place finishes in the high jump (1.70m) and the javelin throw (41.18m).
Laura Worthington added a runner-up finish in the discus with a toss of 30.18 meters and Sarah Miller matched that finish in the javelin throw with a heave of 26.49 meters. Dylan Hankins also turned in a strong showing in the men's long jump, taking third place with a jump of 5.71 meters.
The team of Walker, Miller, Clarke and Bowling closed out the day with a third-place finish in the 4x100 meter relay, clocking in at 53.39 seconds.
The Grizzlies will have eight days off before heading to St. Louis, Mo. on Friday, Mar. 30, for the Washington University at St. Louis Invitational.
