This past weekend, the Emory men’s and women’s track and field teams each placed third at the University Athletic Association (UAA) Indoor Track and Field Championships, hosted by the University of Chicago.
The team as a whole won conference championships in six events and captured an additional nine all-conference honors, which are awarded to top-three finishers.
The men finished with 97 points, only 17 points behind first-place Washington University in St. Louis (Mo.). The University of Chicago placed second with 113 points.
Junior Maxwell Hoberman led the men with conference wins in the long jump and the triple jump.
Hoberman joins a small group of Eagles who have ever claimed wins in both events at a UAA indoor meet, Troy Thompson (1995, 1996, 1997), Ian Francis (2012) and Mike Moserowitz (2013).
The honors, the first in Hoberman’s career, were recorded by a 6.66 meter distance first-place win in the long jump, and a 14.49 meter jump in the triple jump, the fifth-best in Emory’s history.
Hoberman added a fourth-place finish in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.92 seconds. Hoberman’s long jump distance qualified him for nationals for the first time in his career.
“This was my first UAA win,” said Hoberman. “I’ve gotten second and third a couple of times but never first. It’s a great victory to have. I want to commend my coach Aaron Campbell. He was a great athlete himself and really helps me push in practice to reach my best and it clearly paid off.”
The Emory men produced two additional individual wins, coming from two freshmen. Benjamin Rogin claimed the 60-meter hurdle win with a time of 8.33 seconds. Daniel Pietsch also claimed a victory in the 400-meter dash with a time of 49.36 seconds. Junior Adam Rabushka followed close behind, placing second in the event with a time of 49.66 seconds.
The men’s distance medley relay team of freshman Jordan Flowers, sophomore Ian McIsaac, freshman Max Brown and sophomore Grant Murphy placed second in the event, setting an Emory school record and winning all-UAA honors with their 10:09.62 time.
To cap off Emory’s list of all-UAA honorees, Flowers added a third-place finish in the mile run with a time of 4:18.92, while senior Scott Greathouse finished second in the high jump at a height of 1.91 meters.
The women added two individual UAA championship titles, coming from two seniors. Katie Wilson won her first career UAA title in the high jump at a height of 1.63 meters. Electra Korn added her win in the 400-meter dash with a time of 57.39 seconds, winning the event for the second year in a row. Korn also added all-UAA honors in the 200-meter dash, placing second with a time of 25.74 seconds, and in the 60-meter hurdles, finishing third.
“It was fun to see Katie get a personal record,” said sophomore long jumper Kyle Veator. “She was so happy afterwards.”
Eight other Emory individuals added all-UAA finishes. Freshman Caitlin Cheeseboro placed second in the 60-meter hurdles (9.11 seconds). Senior Elaina Kim placed second in the pole vault (3.30 meters). Freshman Zoe Fowler placed third in the weight throw (13.38 meters). Junior Alexandra Aiello placed third in the 60-meter dash (7.97 seconds). The women’s 4x400-meter relay team, consisting of freshman Erica Goldman, sophomore Alexa Young, junior Julie Williamson and senior Hannah Parra, claimed a third-place finish with a time of 3:59.21.
The Eagles will have two more opportunities to improve their qualification times, at the Tufts Last Chance Meet in Boston, Mass. on March 6 and the Pointers NCAA Qualifier in Stevens Point, Wis. on March 7. The 2015 NCAA Division III Championships will take place March 13 and 14 in Winston-Salem, N.C.
— Contact Elana Cates, Assistant Sports Editor
Track Moves Forward Towards NCAAs
Junior Maxwell Hoberman competes at a horizontal jump event. Hoberman had his first University Athletic Association (UAA)Indoor Championship win this past weekend. | Courtesy of Emory Athletics
