MORGANTOWN, W. Va. (January 30, 2021) – The West Virginia University track and field team opened their spring season with a competition at the Thundering Herd Invitational, hosted by Marshall University at the Jeff Small Track at the Chris Cline Athletic Complex, in Huntington, West Virginia, on Saturday.

The quad meet included Marshall, Murray State, and Ohio University. The meet was highlighted by four Mountaineer first-place wins. Redshirt junior Ellie Gardner, freshman Jo-Lauren Keane, redshirt junior Hayley Jackson and senior Marianne Abdalah all captured victories in the season opening meet.

"Track and Field, as with all collegiate athletics, has taken on a very different look this year." Coach Sean Cleary said. "We want to thank Marshall for finding a way to put this meet on and have us in town to compete. For the freshman to have to enter college while navigating COVID-19, let alone the college atmosphere itself, has been a unique experience, to say the least.
 
"We are coming up on a year since our upperclassman have been in a uniform. To have the opportunity to go out and compete in the sport they love was fun to watch.  We will take every opportunity put before us to better ourselves as the winter progresses."
 
Junior Tessa Constantine paced the Mountaineers with a second-place finish in the 200-meter dash with a time of 25.94. Up next was the 300-meter dash, where freshman Lilly McMullen placed fourth with a 42.59. She was the lone Mountaineer to compete in the 400-meter dash, placing second with a time of 58.79.

Freshman Jo-Lauren Keane (1:35.01) and sophomore Amber Dombrowski (1:38.77) finished first and second, respectively, in the 600-meter dash. Redshirt junior Hayley Jackson also took first place in the 800-meter dash with a time of 2:09.3.

Next was the women's 1-mile run, where freshman Megan Weaver placed fourth for the Mountaineers. She crossed the finish line at 5:20.60. Senior Marianne Abdalah (10:08.53) and freshman Petal Palmer (10:29.35) finished in the top-5 in the 3,000-meter run, finishing in first and fifth, respectively. Freshman Abigale Mullings (1.63m) placed second in high jump and Gardner finished first in the women's pole vault with a height of 3.70 meters.

Sophomore Erica Hegele (9.35) took fourth in the 60-meter hurdle competition, as the Mountaineers' 60-meter hurdle relay team took second overall with a time 3:57.47. Junior Sada Wright wrapped up competition for the Mountaineers, placing second in the weight throw with a distance of 16.03 meters.

"Hayley and Jo looked very strong in winning the 600m and 800m (1:35.01 and 2:09.30, respectively)," Cleary Said. "Both have been good for each other in training, and we should see much better results from them over the next 5 months. Marianne also looked very good in taking the 3000m in her best season opener since arriving at WVU. We look for her success to continue. Ellie had a nice day while winning the vault. It was fun to watch her take a shot at her personal best after having won the event. We are very confident that she has a few higher bars in her. From here the team will split. Next week the distance kids will compete at Florida State in Cross Country while some of our track athletes return to Marshall."
 
Seven Mountaineers made their debut on the WVU Track and Field team.
 
Last season, the Mountaineers outdoor season was canceled due to COVID-19. WVU finished 10th as a team at the Big 12 Indoor Track and Field Championship. West Virginia
registered a total of six podium finishes in eight events at the Big 12 Indoor Championship. Twenty-five Mountaineers were named to the 2020 Academic All-Big 12 Team, with seven members being named to the First Team with a 4.00 grade-point average.

Looking ahead, West Virginia Cross Country will head to the FSU XC Last Chance Invitational at Florida State on Friday, Feb. 5. The meet will begin at 10 a.m. ET. Track and Field will travel back to Marshall for the Marshall Classic on Saturday, Feb. 6, at 2 p.m. ET.
 
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