Panthers Finish Fifth at NCCAA Championships
Published: April 13, 2021
Greenville won 2 events and had 1 additional All-American performance to finish in fifth place at the NCCAA Indoor Championships held in the Doden Fieldhouse on Cedarville University's campus. The Panthers were led by junior Rochaunda Harris and freshman Tricia Gall's victories in their respective field events.
Harris had sent a message before the meet even began with her performance in the weight throw the week before where she threw a distance of 56'9 " which currently ranks 5th amongst all NCAA DIII schools. While she did not throw a personal best, her winning toss of 52'8" ranks as the second best toss in the history of the NCCAA Indoor meet. Harris also finished fourth in the shot with a throw of 38'6 ".
Tricia Gall continued her streak of school records. Her winning effort in the triple jump of 35'11 " was the fourth time in five meets that she had broken and rebroken the triple jump record. Tricia is having an outstanding freshman year. During the volleyball campaign she was voted the SLIAC Conference "Newcomer of the Year", and she continues to make her mark on the track.
The top three finishers in each event are considered NCCAA All-Americans. The Distance Medley relay picked up a runner up finish with their school record effort of 12:50.20. The unit was made up of Jen Sutton, Philita Johnson, Talen Gerber and Sara Schlink.
Several seniors ran impressive races despite tough competition. Standout Michelle Sutton ran a tough double finishing 8th in the mile with a time of 5:15.96 and then returning to the track a few hours later for a 5th place showing the 3000 meters (10:46.39). The most inspirational effort came from senior middle distance runner Talen Gerber who managed a 5th place finish in the 800 (2:21.89). What is most remarkable is the fact that Talen was thrown 137 feet after being hit by a car in October while on a training run. To see her racing and racing well is a humbling sight.
Bethel easily won the team title with 166 points. Rounding out the top five were King, 84; Indiana Wesleyan, 79.5; Cedarville, 78.5; and Greenville, 64.
