University of Rio Grande announces Vogt leads Rio women to 3rd place finish at RSC Championships

RIO GRANDE, Ohio - Cassidy Vogt posted two first-place showings, while Amarissa Kerns had one of her own to fuel the University of Rio Grande's third-place finish as a team in the women's division of the River States Conference Track & Field Championships.
     The two-day event concluded on Saturday at the Stockmeister Track & Field.
     Vogt, a sophomore from North Robinson, Ohio, won both the high jump (1.60m) and 100-meter hurdles (14.69), while also placing third in the long jump (5.17m).
     Kerns, a freshman from Lancaster, Ohio, took top honors in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 19:00.03.
The RedStorm's 4x400 relay team - comprised of junior Alyssa Dingus (Wheelersburg, OH), freshman Chloe Lovett (Washington Court House, OH), sophomore Kendra Grooms (West Union, OH) and sophomore Jayden Roach (Baltimore, OH) - also finished first in a new conference record time of 4:03.06.
     Rio Grande totaled 129 points as a team, good enough for third place among the 11 participating schools, while St. Mary-of-the-Woods College (168 pts.) won its first league title with a four-point edge over defending conference champion Point Park University.
     The top three finishers in each event and in the relay competitions earned all-conference honors. The top eight placements in each event earned points for their team.
Among the others who posted all-conference and/or scoring finishes for the RedStorm were sophomore Lauren Jolly (Wheelersburg, OH), who was second in the javelin throw (35.54m), fifth in the 100-meter hurdles (15.85), seventh in the 100-meter dash (12.82) and eighth in the 200-meter dash (26.69); Grooms, who was runner-up in the high jump after clearing 1.60m and fifth in the 400-meter run with a time of 1:00.86; Lovett, who was second in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:06.52; Roach, who placed runner-up in the 400-meter run with a time of 58.93; freshman Karley Kouns (Wheelersburg, OH), who was third in both the discus throw (38.07m) and shot put (11.23m); freshman Natalie Brammer (Wheelersburg, OH), who was third in the 5,000-meter race walk with a time of 35:32.75; freshman Paris Debord (Chillicothe, OH), who was fifth in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.74 and seventh in the 200-meter dash after crossing in 26.63; senior Beth Arnold (Williamstown, WV), who grabbed fifth place in the shot put with a heave covering 11.03m; freshman Nalah Kirkendall (Wheelersburg, OH), who was sixth in the hammer throw with a toss of 38.21m and seventh in the discus throw with an effort of 34.05m; freshman Megan Diven (Caledonia, OH), who was seventh in both the hammer throw (35.80m) and shot put (10.88m); and Dingus, who placed eighth in the 400-meter run with a time of 1:02.39.
     Rio Grande also received a seventh-place performance from its 4x100 relay squad.
     The unit, which included Jolly, Dingus, Lovett and Debord, posted a time of 1:09.24.
     St. Mary-of-the-Woods took home three individual awards as well.
     Hope McGuire was named Track Athlete of the Year after winning the 100 and 200 meters and being all-conference in the 4x100 (champs) and 4x400, while Sierra Hurtado won Field Athlete of the Year as the conference champion in the hammer and shot put and second in the discus.
     Pomeroys head coach Zach Whitkanack was voted RSC Women's Outdoor Track & Field Coach of the Year.
     Carlow University freshman Mya Greschner was named Newcomer of the Year after winning the 400 meters, placing second in the long jump, third in the 200 meters and fourth in the 100 meters.
     The RSC also named a Champions of Character Team which honored one team member of each school who best displays the NAIA five character traits of respect, responsibility, integrity, servant leadership and sportsmanship.
     Rio Grande was represented on the list by Roach.
     The RedStorm also placed six representatives on the RSC Women's Outdoor Track & Field Scholar-Athlete Team, which recognizes outstanding students who have been at their current school for more than two semesters and who have a 3.25 or better grade point average.
Rio's honorees included sophomore Abrielle Kerns (Lancaster, OH), sophomore Alexis Cox (Chillicothe, OH), Dingus, Roach, Grooms and Jolly. 

Original source can be found here.