By Kelsey Rogers, Asst. living & arts editor
Susquehanna’s track and field team will begin their outdoor season with the Jim Taylor invitational on March 31.
Both the men’s and women’s team took third place in the Landmark Indoor Championships. Both teams fell to Moravian and Elizabethtown.
Sophomore Chris Petraskie was named Landmark Conference Field Athlete of the Year as he placed first on the podium in three events. Petraskie broke the school record in the triple jump with a distance of 13.75 meters and won the long jump and high jump with distance of 7.03 meters and 1.93 meters.
Petraskie also anchored the men’s 4×400 meter relay and helped them attain a fourthplace finish. The relay team consisted of senior Kyle Entin, junior Kaleb Waiwada and freshman Paul Jones.
The 4×200 meter relay and distance medley relay also placed fourth. The 4×200 meter relay featured senior Douglas Webb, junior Mark Weaver, sophomore Andrew DeBastiani and freshman Lance Hofer. The distance medley relay featured seniors Kyle Skelton and Gustin Reynolds, Waiwada and freshman Leonard Bolinsky.
Jones had multiple top finishes, placing fourth in the 400-meter dash and sixth in both the 200-meter dash and long jump.
“I think the men’s team is looking good this year,” said sophomore Michael Evans who placed fifth in the shot put. “We have great leadership from our upperclassmen and hard workers all around. I’m expecting strong performances from all athletes and a successful outdoor season.”
Sophomore Jason Card who placed third in the shot put said he is expecting a great season.
“Since indoor, we’ve just been working really hard,” Card said. “The events change and the conditions change so we really are just preparing for anything.
The River Hawks were originally starting their season at the Juniata Invitational on March 24 that was cancelled due to inclimate weather. Card said that the meet getting cancelled was a blessing in order for the team to have extra time to prepare.
“It’s been a long few weeks and everyone feels good,” Card said. “We should have a great season.”
The women’s team is expecting a strong return in the outdoor season as first-year Sara Arbogast led the River Hawks with five podium appearances and was named Landmark Conference Female Rookie of the Year.
Arbogast placed second in the 200 and 400-meter dash and triple jump. She placed third in long jump and ran in the 4×400 meter relay that placed third.
The 4×400 meter relay consisted of sophomores Samantha Reed and Toni Alexander and freshman Kate Ross.
Reed won the 200-meter dash for the second year in a row with a time of 26.91 seconds. Reed also placed fifth in the 60-meter dash.
Sophomore Erin Reese took second in the 5000-meter run and senior Kailyn Reilly placed fourth in both the 800-meter and 1600-meter run.
Freshman Tessa Rendina, who helped lead the 4×200 meter relay to a fourth-place finish said that the energy the team brings is what makes the River Hawks stand out from the rest.
“At our indoor championship meet the energy was extremely high,” Rendina said. “Every single member of the team that wasn’t currently participating was at every corner of the stadium cheering their teammates on. There isn’t a way to accurately describe that feeling.”
Rendina said she expects her teammate’s support to carry her through her race on Saturday.
“Sometimes when you’re in the middle of a race you start to doubt yourself,” Rendina said. “But then I hear my teammates yelling for me and get a sudden burst of determination.”
Freshman Ryleigh Edmonds placed second in the pole vault and sophomore Maya Khanna placed third in the triple jump. Junior Sarah Rinaldi placed fourth in the high jump.
Sophomore and team member Nikki Ganiaris said that there are no limits for what Susquehanna is going to bring to the outdoor season.
“This is a group of strong athletes with so much heart and dedication. Things can really only go up from the mark we left this past winter,” Ganiaris said.
The Jim Taylor Invitational will be hosted at Susquehanna on Saturday, March 31 and begins at 9 a.m