Part of the Waynesburg University men and women’s outdoor track & field teams competed in the Muskie Duals this past Saturday in New Concord, Ohio. According to head coach Michelle Cross, due to the cold temperatures and high winds, jumpers and sprinters did not go to the meet—only throwers and long-distance runners attended.

“Before we even went, we as a coaching staff made the decision because we thought it would be wise just because you could hurt very easily when your muscles are firing at a high intensity in the cold,” said Cross. “That just opens you up for hamstring injuries.”

Even though only a select few went to compete for both the women’s and men’s teams, according to Cross, it was a successful meet in which there were some people who achieved personal records.

“Muskie is usually a couple steps back across the board from what people were doing in indoor,” said Cross. “I was expecting that because that was pretty much what it has been like, but we had [Matt Durgin] actually PR in the 10K, [Drew Schwab] PR in the disc and [Jerry Farrelli], [Roman Lessard] and [Matt Mansfield] PR as well.”

For the sophomore Mansfield, he competed in the 2,000 meter steeple chase and finished with a time of 7:08. According to Cross, the steeple chase is usually 3,000 meters instead of 2,000 meters, despite this she said that Mansfield tied Waynesburg’s record for the event.

“That was something really positive to see him coming in such a place coming into outdoor, because he was battling some injuries in indoor as well,” said Cross.

On the women’s side, junior Jordan Simpson reached a personal record in javelin and some freshmen also had the chance to take part in new events.

Freshmen Gloria Reed and Aubrey Wingeart both competed in the 10K and finished in first and second place, respectively. They were followed by sophomore teammate Gianna Pugliano in third place. Reed finished with a time of 40:27.2 while Wingeart finished with a time of 41:33. Pugliano finished with a time of 43:25.

“I think that the times that they posted are going to be top of the conference times,” said Cross. “They did well in those events.”

Despite the elements of a high of 40s and a low of 25 degrees with winds between 10 and 15 miles per hour, the teams handled the conditions well, according to Cross.

“Whenever we handle the elements well, it’s always something good to see,” she said. “It is nice to be finally able to get outside and not have to battle scheduling conflicts with training.”

For the throwers, it was their first time all year getting to perform some of their outdoor throwing events.

“It was good to see a lot of the throwers knocking the rust off, but it also reveals to us a lot of techniques and things that we need to tweak with them as well,” said Cross.

The Yellow Jacket women and men will compete Saturday at the Carnegie Mellon Invitational and according to Cross, the team will be at full strength.