Pomainville surpasses Wisconsin-Oshkosh athletes Cazzola and Woodworth to achieve meet and division all-time marks; Hannan secures third 10,000 title in past four finals for Ithaca, with Pangallozzi also prevailing for Johns Hopkins

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

One NCAA Division 3 record holder achieved her first career track championship Thursday in Greensboro, N.C.

And the 10,000-meter victory by Ithaca standout Parley Hannan wasn’t even the biggest storyline from the opening day of the Division 3 Outdoor Championships at Irwin Belk Track in Greensboro, N.C.

Emily Pomainville, a junior at SUNY Geneseo, produced the fastest 1,500-meter performance in division history, in addition to smashing the previous championship record with prelim effort of 4 minutes, 13.69 seconds.

Pomainville surpassed a pair of University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh standouts in the process, taking down the 2014 Division 3 all-time best of 4:14.20 achieved by Christy Cazzola. She also eclipsed the 2004 championship record of 4:15.20 established by Liz Woodworth.

Pomainville ran more than 20 seconds faster than the next qualifier, making her a significant favorite to secure her first national championship Saturday.

Hannan, who won the 2019 Division 3 cross country national title and set the indoor 5,000 division record last year, clocked 34:33.53 to give Ithaca its third championship in the event in the past four national finals, along with Taryn Cordani in 2017-18.

Kassie Rosenbum of Loras, the 2019 winner, took second Thursday in 35:05.12.

Johns Hopkins senior Jared Pangallozzi secured the program’s first men’s 10,000 title by running 29:55.42.

Pangallozzi improved from 12th at the 2019 outdoor final, prevailing against Carleton junior Lucas Mueller (30:07.89) to earn the first men’s title for Johns Hopkins in any distance event since 2014.

Hannan’s victory wasn’t the only championship secured by Ithaca, as sophomore Meghan Matheny won the women’s pole vault with a 12-7.50 (3.85m) clearance on her third attempt.

Matheny became the first female athlete for Ithaca to secure the pole vault crown since Katherine Pitman in 2016.

Ithaca nearly added a men’s pole vault championship, but University of Wisconsin-Stout junior Noah Zastrow cleared 16-8.75 (5.10m) on his first attempt to edge Bombers’ junior Dominic Mikula, who made the height on his second opportunity.

Carroll (Wisconsin) sophomore Steven Hermsen won the men’s discus with a sixth-round throw of 177-11 (54.22m), achieving the program’s first championship in the event since 2001.

Wisconsin-Oshkosh captured its first women’s discus crown in a decade, with senior Sydney Thompson producing the winning mark of 153-4 (46.74m) on her opening throw.

Nebraska Wesleyan senior Linnaea Konfrst made a late charge, placing second with a sixth-round throw of 152 feet (46.34m).

There was also drama in the sixth round of the women’s javelin, with Southern Maine sophomore Sophia Slovenski rallying with a final throw of 158-2 (48.21m) to surpass Saint Mary’s freshman Anna Swanson for the title.

Swanson had thrown 153-1 (46.65m) in the third round, but Slovenski came through in the clutch to secure the first women’s championship in any event for Southern Maine.

Brockport State senior Egypt Page won the men’s long jump title with a wind-aided leap of 24-4.25 (7.42m) in the fifth round, the first championship in any event for the program since 1975.

University of Chicago sophomore Isabel Maletich produced a wind-legal effort of 19-3.50 (5.88m) in the third round to triumph in the women’s long jump. It marked the first championship by a female athlete in any field event for the Maroons.