Women’s track and field team finishes in fifth-place at MIAA Field Day

OLIVET, Mich. – Behind school-record performances in both relays, including a second-place finish in the 4x100, the Olivet College women's track and field team finished in fifth-place at the 2011 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Field Day. The Comets hosted the two-day championship event on the Kolassa Track and inside the Cutler Athletic Complex.

Olivet collected 54 team points to finish ahead of Albion (43.5) and Trine (13). Calvin College successfully defended its league title with 284 points, followed by Hope (217.5), Alma (85) and Adrian (77).

The 4x100-meter relay team of Becca Gaarde (Parma/Western), Chelsea Guzikowski (Reed City), Cassandra Ciaravino (Lapeer/East) and Liz Stewart (Vermontville/Maple Valley) stopped the clock at 50.72 seconds, which was 62 one-hundredths faster than the previous record. The 4x400-meter relay team of Stewart, Ciaravino, Jenna Mayle (Ionia) and Sarah Caldwell (Bronson) finished in fifth-place with a time of 4:11.12, just 23 one-hundredths faster than the old record. Katie Yahrmarkt (Sparta) broke her own school record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at 13:44.86.

The top individual finish in today's finals was turned in by Caldwell, as she placed second in the 400-meter dash in 59.13 seconds. Gaarde was third in both the 100- (:13.10) and 200- (:26.93) dash, and eighth in the 100-meter hurdles (:17.22). Also placing in the 100-meter hurdles was Ciaravino, who was sixth in 16.55 seconds. Stewart finished sixth in the 400-meter dash (1:03.13).

Sara Wegener (Lansing/Lansing Catholic) posted Olivet's best finish in the field events. She was seventh in the shot put with a 34 feet, 11.25 inches throw. Ciaravino was eighth in the triple jump with a 30 feet, 9.25 inch leap.

Today's events concluded the season for the Comets.