WOOSTER, Ohio – Four College of Wooster track and field records were improved upon by the respective current record holders, and the Fighting Scots closed out Denison University to sweep Thursday's annual indoor dual meet between the North Coast Athletic Conference rivals. A one-two 200 meters finish by sophomore Igna Mendez and senior Haley Bloom all-but-clinched Wooster's 69-62 win over Denison, while the men dispatched the Big Red 77-61 inside the Scot Center.

Wooster and Denison were deadlocked at 56 on the women's side with two events remaining. Mendez posted the winning time of 29.09 in the 200 meters, and that was backed up by Bloom's runner-up 29.29. With the one-two finish in the event, Wooster just needed to successfully finish the 4x400 relay to win the meet under dual-scoring format. The quartet of junior Athena Tharenos, Bloom, first-year Izzy Cozzie, and Mendez did more than that, posting the winning time of 4:21.96, and topping Denison's top relay by over two seconds.

Junior Dylan Garretson upped his school record in the pole vault for the second straight meet, this time reaching 15 feet, 10 inches. It marked Garretson's third improvement upon his indoor record since originally breaking the 33-year-old mark in the rivals' dual meet in 2022. Of note, Garretson is now 10th nationally in the event within NCAA Div. III this winter.

Garretson's record was one of three betterments on the men's side on Thursday evening. First-year Lorenzo Freeman, who debuted by taking down the program's 60-meter hurdles record less than two weeks ago, lowered that to 8.57, which was the winning time on Thursday. Senior Will McMichael, a four-time NCAC 400 meters champion went 49.69 in his season debut in his specialty, and that was slightly better than his 49.75 from 2020.

Senior Joe Shilts, senior Nick Scherson, junior Davis Patterson, and McMichael made a statement in the meet-capping 4x400 relay, leaving Denison's top relay well behind, as the Scots' 3:30.90 ranked nearly 13 seconds better than the Big Red's 3:43.59. Other men's winners included senior Luke Henke in the high jump (6 feet, 0.5 inch), first-year Khaleel Manderson in the 200 meters (23.71), sophomore Drew Robertson in the mile (4:38.75), and sophomore Vell Robinson in the long jump (20 feet, 0.25 inch).

Junior Ainsley Wiesner broke the school record in the weight throw for the third straight week and climbed into the top-50 nationally for this season in doing so. Wiesner's best effort was 50 feet, 0.75 inch, and that was tops on the night. First-year Evangeline Sanford gave Wooster a sweep in the throws with a best mark of 39 feet, 1.75 inches in the shot put, a distance less than a foot and a half off Dee Dee Reid's 1996 school record of 40 feet, 6.25 inches.

Two-time national qualifier Claudia Partridge climbed into the top-15 nationally in the high jump behind a season-best effort of 5 feet, 4.25 inches, which was Thursday's top mark. Junior Drew Patterson won the 60-mter dash with a time of 8.34 and Tharenos' 2:24.69 was number one in the 800 meters.

Next, Wooster competes at Denison's Bob Shannon Invitational on Saturday, February 4.