• Results (.html)

PITTSBURGH (March 29) – The Waynesburg University women's track & field team posted two NCAA provisional qualifying marks and four ECAC qualifying marks in its season-opener Saturday at the Western Pennsylvania Championships, hosted by Carnegie Mellon University.

Junior indoor track & field All-American Ashley Dodd (Upper St. Clair, Pa./Upper St. Clair) and highly-touted freshman Elisha Jones (Russell, Pa./Eisenhower) each set provisional marks for trips to the 2008 NCAA Championships from May 22-24 in Oshkosh, Wisc. The duo, along with juniors Megan Grover (Arvada, Col./Faith Christian) and Amanda Staudt (Cochranton, Pa./Cochranton), also posted qualifying marks for the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championships on May 16-17 in Springfield, Mass.

Dodd won her first pole vault event of the outdoor season after capturing three indoor track & field titles this winter. The Upper St. Clair native earned first place in the 19-member field with a clearance of 12.14 feet (3.50 meters), winning by almost one foot (0.98 feet, 0.30 meters).

Jones captured the javelin title and set the school record in her first career invitational after missing the indoor season due to basketball. The freshman won the javelin with a heave of 133.56 feet (40.71 meters), topping marks set by several scholarship throwers. Jones' winning throw was 10.89 feet (3.32 meters) longer than that of the second-place finisher from Robert Morris University.

Jones also posted a top-15 finish in the discus with a throw of 99.77 feet (30.41 meters), the second-best heave of any non-scholarship athlete.

In addition to Jones' performance in the javelin, Staudt opened her junior season with a throw of 117.91 feet (35.94 meters) to finish in sixth place. The Yellow Jackets joined Robert Morris and Saint Francis University (Pa.) – both scholarship programs – as the only schools to place two javelin throwers in the top six.

Grover clocked a time of 18 minutes, 20.21 seconds in the 5,000-meter run to finish just sixth-hundredths of a second behind the winner from Division II Indiana University of Pennsylvania. In addition to qualifying for the ECAC Championships, her time also sets a new school record in the 5,000 meters. Grover also posted a top-10 time in the 1,500-meter run, finishing seventh overall with a time of 5:06.08.

Sophomore April Loving (East McKeesport, Pa./East Allegheny) set the school record in the 200-meter run, crossing the finish line in 27.83 seconds. Freshman Michaeline Macosko (Jefferson Hills, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) broke the school record in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:14.30, which was best in her heat.

Sophomore Melissa Cox (Waynesburg, Pa./Jefferson-Morgan) posted an impressive finish in the 800-meter run, rounding the track in 2:28.37.

The Yellow Jackets posted 34 points in the 15-team event, which was won by St. Francis (Pa.) with 157 points.

Waynesburg return to action on Saturday, April 5, when it competes in the Washington & Jefferson Invitational at Cameron Stadium. Events are scheduled for a 10 a.m. start.