Senior Hannah Smith competes in the steeplechase. Smith was the lone Eagle win this past weekend at the VertKlasse Meeting in High Point, N.C. | Courtesy of Emory Athletics
This past weekend, the Emory track and field team competed at the VertKlasse Meeting in High Point, N.C. While there was no team scoring recorded at the event, the Eagles turned a number of strong performances to continue their outdoor season.
“This was a really successful meet for us,” said sophomore Kellie Harunk, who competed in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes. “We loved traveling to High Point because it’s a Division I school, giving us more competition to challenge us that we don’t get at other Division III meets.”
Harunk explained that the conditions in High Point were very windy.
“Usually that would be really bad,” she said. “But, we were still able to have a great meet with a lot of personal records.”
Senior Hannah Smith contributed the lone first-place win for Emory. She won the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 11:07.73, ranking 10th among all NCAA Division III runners this year.
Junior Julie Williamson added a sixth-place finish in the 800-meter run. With her 2:14.66 time, she recorded her second-best time of the season and tied for the eighth-fastest time in the Emory program’s history.
“Everyone did a great job,” Williamson said. “We were up against a lot of great Division I teams, so it was great practice to get us closer to the times we need in order to qualify for Division III Nationals.”
Freshman Julia Leventhal recorded the top times for any Eagle this season in her two events, the 100-meter dash and the 200-meter dash. In the 100-meter, she recorded a 12.59 second time, good for 11th-place. For the 200-meter, her time of 26.03 seconds earned her 26th-place.
Other top marks on the women’s side came from senior Madison Hoeninghausen in the javelin throw, claiming seventh place with 33.93 meters, freshman Kora Dreffs in the shot put, with 11.06 meters good for 24th place. Freshman Caitlin Cheeseboro also earned top marks in the 100-meter hurdles, recording 13th place with 15.34 seconds. Freshman Zoe Fowler contributed top marks, as well, claiming 12th place in the hammer throw with 41.86 meters.
In the 400-meter dash, sophomore Erica Goldman placed ninth with her time of 1:00.37. Freshman Gabrielle Stravach recorded 10th place in the 1,500-meter run with a 4:48.65 time. Senior Katie Wilson tied for ninth place in the high jump with 1.55 meters.
In the 4×400-meter relay, the Emory women’s team, made up of sophomores Elizabeth Magno and Alexa Young, Goldman, and Williamson, placed eighth with its 4:04.95 time.
“We had all just ran for a while, so we were pretty tired, but it was fun to get a team together and practice,” Williamson said of the 4×400-meter relay team. “The wind was also a factor, if it wasn’t there a lot of times would have probably been better. But, it was still great practice.”
On the men’s side, freshman Max Brown led the Eagles after he claimed sixth place in the 1,500-meter run with a time of 3:55.27. His time was good for the seventh-fastest in the program’s history, and the eighth-fastest time by a NCAA Division III athlete this season.
Sophomore Grant Murphy added a 17th-fastest time by any NCAA Division III athlete this season with his 15th-place, 3:58.01 finish in the 1,500-meter run.
Freshman Phillip Greenfield claimed a season-best time for the Eagles in the 100-meter dash, placing 14th with 11.10 seconds. He also competed in the 200-meter dash, claiming 24th-place with a 22.92 time.
Junior Jack Seigel also added a best mark for the Eagles this season in the discus throw, placing 15th with a 42.80-meter throw.
In the javelin throw, junior Spencer Koh placed fifth with a 51.09-meter throw. He also claimed an eighth-place finish in the pole vault with 4.17 meters.
Freshman Shane Sullivan placed eighth in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 15:09.89.
Senior Kevin Delaney placed eighth in the 8000-meter run with a 1:59.51 time.
Freshman Daniel Pietsch claimed sixth place in the 400-meter dash with his 49.01-second time.
The men’s 4×400-meter relay, like the women’s, also placed in the meet’s top-10, claiming seventh-place with a time of 3:24.30. The team consisted of freshman Zach Lamb, senior Zachary Rosenberg, sophomore Ian McIsaac and Pietsch.
“Looking ahead, we just need to tweak some small things and get the squad the best we can before [University Athletic Association (UAA)] Championships,” Harunk added. “The next to weeks will be all about perfecting and preparing.”
The Eagles are scheduled to return to action on Friday, April 10 and Saturday, April 11 at the Catamount Classic at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, N.C.
Managing Editor | Elana Cates is a College senior from San Diego, California, majoring in English and History. She joined the Wheel's Editorial Board her sophomore year as sports editor. In addition to the Wheel, Elana is also a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority and a vice president of the Student Alumni Board.
