Gwynedd Valley, Pa. – (12/8/2022) – The Gwynedd Mercy University men's and women's track and field seasons begin tomorrow, Friday, December 8, with Ursinus College's Bow Tie Invitational. The Griffins look to the experience of All-Atlantic East Conference (AEC) Track Athlete and Rookie of the Year junior Branden Soubik (Lansdale, Pa.) and fellow all-conference performers; senior Kevin Johnston (Hatboro, Pa.), senior Keely Greene (Philadelphia, Pa.), junior Natalie O'Neill (Philadelphia, Pa.), and sophomore Jenna Clarency (Philadelphia, Pa.) to lead them through a schedule that includes eight indoor dates and six outdoor competitions.  
Gwynedd Mercy University enjoyed several Top-10 finishes at the 2021 Bow Tie Invitational. On the women's side, Clarency placed 10^th (1:07.87) in the 400-Meter Dash and senior Alicia Bennett (Philadelphia, Pa.) placed 13^th (6:15.97) in the Mile. Meanwhile, the men's team celebrated a seventh-place 60-Meter Hurdle (11.91) performance from junior Melvin Mathew (North Wales, Pa.), an eighth-place 5,000-Meter (17:42.51) run from senior Thomas Balla (Trevose, Pa.), and a trio of Top-10 finishes from Soubik; ninth (7.41) in the 60-Meter and 10th in both the 200-Meter (10th, 24.24) and 400-Meter (10th, 55.44).
 
The Griffins return to Ursinus College after the New Year for the Collegeville Classic (Jan. 21) and Frank Colden Invitational (Feb. 4). Gwynedd Mercy University performed well at the 2021 Frank Colden Invitational with Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) DIII Indoor Track and Field Championship qualifying times on both the men's (1:51.67) and women's (2:09.00) 4x200 Relays and several personal records. In between the Ursinus events, the Griffins travel to Allentown, Pennsylvania, for the Muhlenberg College Invitational. Soubik and Balla scored first-place finishes at last year's proceedings, headlining the Gwynedd Mercy University contingency with their respective performances in the 200-Meter (1^st, 24.30) and Mile (1^st, 4:53.29) races. Soubik also placed second in the 55-Meter, where he recorded a personal record of 6.80. Gwynedd Mercy University also performed well in the women's Shot Put and Mile; senior Meghan LoStracco (Chalfont, Pa.) as one of three Griffins to record a Top-10 (10^th, 7.49) toss, while Bennett (4^th, 6:29.77) and Greene (6^th, 6:41.34) were two of three Griffins to enjoy a Top-10 run.
 
The indoor season continues with back-to-back events at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex; the Fasttrack National Invitational (Feb. 10) and the Fasttrack Last Chance Invitational (Feb. 24). Gwynedd Mercy University participated last year's Last Chance Invitational, where Soubik competed for a fifth-place finish (7.44) in the 60-Meter, a 30^th-place finish (23.70) in the 200-Meter, and a 32^nd-place finish (55.33) in the 400-Meter.
 
Griffins who qualify will conclude the indoor season with appearances at the All-Atlantic Region Track and Field Conference (AARTFC) Indoor Championships (Mar. 3) and the NCAA DIII Indoor Track and Field Championship Meet (Mar. 10). The AARTFC conducts two championship meets annually for NCAA Division III track & field teams in the Metro, Mideast, Mid-Atlantic and Niagara Regions. The Griffins will conclude their 2022-2023 schedule with the AARTC Outdoor Championships (May 17). This is the first season Gwynedd Mercy University has competed in the AARTC events.
 
The outdoor season begins just two weeks later with a return to Ursinus College for the Bears' Outdoor Invitational (Mar. 25). Soubik shined in the first fresh-air events of the 2021 season with Top-10 finishes in the 100-Meter (5^th, 11.32) and 200-Meter (7^th, 22.97). Additionally, LoStracco offered Top-25 throws in the Shot Put (22^nd, 7.70) and Hammer (23^rd, 23.20), while Clarency recorded Top-20 finishes in the 200-Meter (18^th, 28.98) and 100-Meter (16^th, 14.29) races.
 
On Wednesday, April 5, the Griffins will welcome competitors to the Athletic Complex for the Gwynedd Mercy University Midweek Twilight Invitational. Last year's meet was ended early due to inclement weather. After their home event, the Griffins will compete at West Chester University's Bill Butler Invitational (Apr. 15), the celebrated Penn Relays (Apr. 27), and the 2023 AEC Championship Meet. Both the Griffin men (3^rd of 5, 79 points) and women (3^rd of 5, 118 points) placed third at the 2022 championship. Soubik starred with first-place finishes in both the 200-Meter (1^st, 23.84) and 400-Meter (1^st, 51.87) events, while Johnston garnered his all-conference honor with a first-place finish (1^st, 2,416.0 points) in the Decathlon. A women's 4x400-Meter Relay team comprised of Siobhan McShea '22, Greene, O'Neill, and Clarency ran to a second-place finish (2^nd, 4:31.71). Greene and O'Neill also garnered All-AEC laurels in the 10,000-Meter (2^nd, 46:29.61) and the Heptathlon (2^nd, 2,201.0 points), respectively.
 
You can follow Gwynedd Mercy University's success through their 2022-2023 indoor and outdoor schedules at GwyneddAthletics.com. Live results for tomorrow's Bow Tie Invitational are available using the link provided on the men and women's schedule pages.