This past Sunday, the Emory men's and women's track and field teams finished ahead of all other Division III teams competing in the Emory Crossplex Invitational. The women's team finished second overall to only Division I Georgia State University and the men finished third to Division I teams Lipscomb University and the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
Sunior Debora Adjibaba led the Eagles, breaking the program's indoor 200 meter dash record with a time of 25.34 seconds. Adjibaba already held the outdoor 200 meter dash record for the Eagles.
It was the second fastest 200 ran by Division III a woman this season. She had little experience with the indoor 200 in the past, recently adding it to her arsenal after it was added as an event at indoor Nationals.
"[Debora] is an exceptional young woman and a model athlete," head coach John Curtin said.
Adjibaba also finished first among Division III women in the 60 yard dash with a time of 7.71 seconds and fourth overall with her 4x400 meter relay with junior Electra Korn, senior Morgan Monroe and freshman Alexa Young. In the distance medley relay, which is made up of a 1200 meter race, a 400 meter race, an 800 meter race, and a 1600 meter race, the Eagles' team of senior Emily Caesar, sophomore Julie Williamson, junior Marissa Gogniat and junior Stephanie Crane ran the second-fastest race of all Division III teams in the country.
Senior Edward Mulder shined as a men's distance runner, finishing first overall in the mile with a time of 4:16.63.
It can be difficult for teams returning from winter break, but Emory's team was nonetheless able to take almost all their athletes to this competitive invitational.
Adjibaba, who lives in Chambersburg, Pa., based her workouts around the weather. Snow often covered the outdoor track at a nearby high school, but that didn't stop her from getting her work in.
"If I didn't have access to the track, I always made sure I was doing something," she said.
The Birmingham Crossplex boasts one of the best indoor track facilities in the country, featuring a track with hydraulically adjusted banked curves. This invitational presented exceptionally tough competition, attracting some professional non-collegiate associated runners, Curtain said.
The competition, including some Division III athletes on scholarships, did not phase the Eagles.
"I don't think our kids even think about what division they are. They just want to go out and compete," Curtain said.
Emory's team, as a top Division III program, is comparable to a Division II team.
"A lot of our kids are pretty intrinsically motivated and can compete on a high level," Curtain said.
Emory will compete in the Clemson Invitational at Clemson on January 31st and February 1st and in the Samford Invitational, again at the Birmingham Crossplex, Feburary 7th and 8th.
Emory will be the only Division III team in either invitational and will be faced with even steeper competition than in this past one, but Curtis is confident in his athletes and even expects to see some of them in the in the early March Division III Indoor National Championships in Lincoln, Neb.
"Mentally and athletically, I think this is the best squad we've had since I've been here. I think this is going to be a great season for us," Adjibaba said.
– By Zak Hudak
Photo courtesy of Emory Athletics
