By Marissa Masano / The Jambar
The Youngstown State University track and field team opened its spring season at the West Virginia University Stan Romanoski Open from March 22 to 23. In the outdoor opener, eight throwers represented the Penguins.
Freshman Lexus Solarz won the women’s discus for the first time in her YSU career. Her winning throw of 44.52m came in her sixth and final round.
Solarz’s three completed attempts in the discus included 38.88m, 36.72m and 36.03m in rounds two, three and four, respectively.
Junior Krista Perry had a best throw of 33.21m to place 12th.
In the women’s hammer throw, the Penguin’s top finisher was senior Emily Wolf, who placed 10th overall with a throw of 43.01m.
The next finisher for the Penguins was sophomore Grace Sparks, who placed 14th with a throw of 41.16 m. Perry had a best throw of 40.88m.
Sophomore Valeria Young was the Penguin’s highest finisher in the women’s javelin. Young had a best throw of 34.18m to place eighth. Sophomore India Bailey had a best throw of 32.33m to place 10th, and junior Vanessa Greaves placed 11th with a 32.19m throw.
Sophomore Connor Shingleton was the men’s highest finisher in the 1500-meter steeplechase, placing fourth with a time of 4:30.33.
Junior Beau Gorby and sophomore Thomas Hunyadi competed in the men’s 5000 meter, where Gorby placed eighth with a time of 15:35.25, and Hunyadi placed 18th with a time of 16:02.24.
Freshman Ryan Tetrick made his YSU outdoor debut in the hammer throw and shot put. In the hammer throw, he placed fourth with a toss of 14.57m. In the shot put, Tetrick placed 14th with a 38.33m throw in his third attempt.
The Penguins will travel to Raleigh, North Carolina from March 28 to 30 to compete in the North Carolina State Raleigh Relays.
For the outdoor season, the men’s side was voted first with eight first place votes, according to the 2024 Under Armour Outdoor Preseason Poll. The women’s side was voted to finish second.
