Indoor track teams to participate in HL meet

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Many teams would be satisfied to earn a third-place finish in a seven-team meet. But the Youngstown State men are not satisfied.

The Penguins finished in third place at last year’s Horizon League championship meet.

But it was a bit of a backward step as the team finished No. 2 the past four years and having won the meet in 2003.

The women’s team finished the 2010 meet in fifth place after having won it in 2004, 2005 and 2008 and finishing as the runners-up in 2006, 2007 and 2009.

Both teams will compete at this year’s meet, which begins Friday in Geneva.

Both teams had one individual champion at the conference meet last year.

The men earned the top spot in the shot put from Aaron Merrill. The women were led by a first-place finished from Robyn Ray in the high jump. Both Merrill and Ray graduated.

Looking to improve on their 2010 performances are sprinters Michael Davis and Tarrelle Irwin. Davis finished in second place in the 200-meter dash, and Irwin was about a tenth of a second behind him in third.

Thrower Bobby Grace will be looking to overtake Merrill’s old spot, having placed third in the shot put last year. The Penguins also earned the fourth (John Seaver) and fifth (Jeremiah Folger) spots in the event. Folger also finished fifth in the weight throw.

On the women’s side, some throwers will also be looking to improve. Kaitlyn Griffith earned the second spot in the shot put last year with a personal-best throw of 43-feet-6.

Behind her in fourth and fifth were Kaicee Kubicina and Alison Roth, respectively.

Sophomore sprinters Symona Gregory and Kenya Garner also placed last year. Gregory earned a fourth-place finish in the 60- meter dash and Garner earned two sixths in the 60- and 200-meter dashes.