Two Wins, School Record Highlight Final Day in Akron

Saturday, February 3

Akron, Ohio

10:00 a.m.

West Virginia University

Akron Invitational

February 03, 2018 07:43 PM | Track & Field

Results

By: Joe Mitchin

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University track and field team closed the 14th annual Akron Invitational in a big way on Saturday, at the Stile Athletics Field House, in Akron, Ohio.

The Mountaineers saw wins in the women's 400 meters (blue division) by freshman McKenna Smith and women's triple jump (gold division) by senior Shamoya McNeil, as well as a record-setting performance by redshirt junior Madelin Gardner in the women's pole vault (gold division).

Gardner smashed the indoor school pole vault record, earning a mark of 4.37 meters (14 feet, 4 inches) to place second in the event. The performance topped her previous indoor school record of 4.15 meters, set on Dec. 2, 2017, at the Marty Pushkin Track Classic.

The Williamstown, West Virginia, native cleared marks of 4.23 meters and 4.30 meters before her final record-breaking jump of the day.

In all, WVU earned a total of six top-five finishes on the final day of the two-day competition.

"It was an excellent day for us today," WVU coach Sean Cleary said. "Maddie had one of those days that athletes dream about, where you've prepared well, and you believe in yourself. She and (pole vault coach) San (Hensh), both believe that there's more in her. We feel pretty secure that that's going to be an NCAA berth, so now we can concentrate on the rest of the meets and get her ready for the championships."

Smith got the day started for the Mountaineers in the women's 400 meters (blue division), winning in 57.08. Later on, McNeil earned WVU's second win of the day in the women's triple jump (gold division). The Portland, Jamaica, native earned a mark of 12.82 meters (42 feet, 0.75 inches) and won the competition by nearly a foot.

"McKenna was better today; she's gaining more confidence," Cleary said. "I think she's moving in the right direction."

WVU added a runner-up finish when redshirt freshman Kyrielle Williams took second in the women's long jump (blue division). Williams earned a mark of 1.60 meters (5 feet, 3 inches) in the event.

Additionally, redshirt freshman Antigone Archer finished third in the women's mile (blue division) in 5:14.37, while junior Danique Bryan took fifth in the women's long jump (gold division) with a mark of 5.73 meters (18 feet, 9.75 inches). Redshirt senior Rebecca Wendt took eighth in the women's 800 meters (gold division) in 2:18.09.

"I think over the next couple of weeks, the pole vault, triple (jump) and long (jump) are going to be really strong moments for us," Cleary said. "The team goals are still to stay away from the vicious flu, rest up, get back in the books and get ready for Marshall."

The Mountaineers saw senior Sara Finfrock tie for first place in the women's pole vault (blue division) with a mark of 3.83 meters during Friday's opening night of the meet. Sophomore Amanda Barnes took fifth place in the same competition. Redshirt senior Meghan Jean-Baptiste and freshman Marianne Abdalah also earned fifth-place finishes in the women's long jump (blue division) and women's 5,000 meters (blue division), respectively. Jean-Baptiste earned a mark of 5.33 meters, while Abdalah finished in a time of 17:59.81.

WVU was one of 23 schools at this weekend's meet, which included Akron, Ashland, Ball State, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Cedarville, Central Michigan, Cleveland State, Dayton, Indiana Tech, IUPUI, Kent State, Malone, Michigan State, Mount St. Mary's, Penn, Saint Francis, South Florida, Tiffin, Virginia Tech, Windsor and Xavier.

The Mountaineers return to action for a pair of meets from Feb. 9-10. WVU is set to compete in the Marshall Invitational in Huntington, West Virginia, while select members of the team will travel to the David Hemery Invite in Boston, Massachusetts.

For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow the team on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.