YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - The West Liberty University women's track and field team opened its 2022-23 indoor season yesterday at the YSU Icebreaker.

Maggie Kovalcik highlighted the Hilltoppers opening day with two school records. The junior from New Cumberland, W.Va. started the meet with a 1:00.91 in the 400m race, placing 12th, to take down a record that stood for the last seven years, a 1:01.69 from Morgan Litton in February of 2015, by less than half a second. Then, Kovalcik took her talents to the pit and shattered the program's long jump record by nearly half a meter. She leaped a 5.40 and finished in eighth place in the event. "This wasn't a surprise to me, (Maggie) is a stud," said Head Coach Justin Simpson.

Senior Mackenzie Rine got her season started with a personal best by nearly a foot, tying the school record on pole vault with a clear of 3.20m. She went over the 2.75m and 3.20m bars in one try before being tripped up at 3.35m.

Sophomore Oliva Combs (4.97m) along with freshmen Sierra Lanham (4.80m), Lauren Wyatt (4.76m), and Tori Fisher (4.72m) also had solid outings in the long jump for the Black and Gold. "It was a great opener for them, they are shaping up to be a formidable group (in the long jump) for us," noted Coach Simpson.

Ally Hicks ran to a top-10 finish in the 3000m race crossing the line in 11:22.28 to place sixth leading the distance squad.

Freshman Wheeling native Jailah Walker began her Hilltopper career with a 1.60m high jump. After clearing 1.45, 1.50, and 1.55 in her first attempts, Walker battled back from two misses to clear 1.60 in her third try. 

Sierra Lanham, Madison Cadle, Amari Poole, Abbe Stackpole, and Abigail Masters all posted solid marks in the 60m dash less than 0.3 seconds apart. Lanham led the way with a 7.94 to earn a spot in the prelim race, where she ran a 7.95, Cadle was a tenth behind in qualifiers, then Poole crossed the line in 8.10, and Stackpole 0.08 seconds later. Running unattached, Masters finished in 8.06.

In throws, Suzan Johnson (12th) and Sydney Jefferys (15th) highlighted the Hilltoppers. Johnson had her strongest throw in her third toss marking 14.38m, while Jefferys threw a 14.25 in her opening attempt and that would hold as her best of the day. "Suzan and Sydney had very good marks for their first hammer throws of the year, this will set them up nicely as they try to break the records of our greatest thrower ever, Kelsi Hulit," said Coach Simpson.

West Liberty will be back at it on Friday in Allendale, Mich. for the Grand Valley State Holiday Open.

Follow Hilltopper Track and Field all season online at HilltopperSports.com and on Twitter (@WLU_XCTF | @WLathletics), Instagram (@wlu_xctf | @wlu_athletics), and Facebook.