Track Team Splits Up for Two Away Meets

This past weekend, the Emory track and field team split up, with some of the team traveling to Sewanee: The University of the South (Tenn.) for the Mountain Laurel Invitational, and a few athletes traveling across town to the Georgia Institute of Technology for the Georgia Tech Invitational.

These two meets were Emory athletes’ last chance to record qualifying times or to get extra practice before the University Athletic Association (UAA) Championships, which will take place on April 25 and 26 at home at the Woodruff Physical Education Center (WoodPEC).

“Some of us who didn’t compete this weekend were just using this as a rest, but this week, we’re all backing off and taking it easier so we will be ready to go at UAAs,” junior Julie Williamson said. “We’re making sure we’re sleeping and eating well and getting spirited and excited."

According to Williamson, everyday this week, the team members are participating in bonding activities.

“The UAAs are the one time where we all come together and support each other,” she said. “It’s very team oriented.”

At Sewanee, both the men and women finished second in the team results. The men earned 166 points, finishing behind first-place Birmingham-Southern College (Ala.) with 167 points. Lee University (Tenn.) finished third with 109 points, and the home team, Sewanee, placed fourth with 90.5 points.

Birmingham-Southern also won first place on the women’s side with 200 points, while the Emory women followed with 115 points. Lee’s women also placed third with 121 points, and Sewanee placed fourth with 62 points.

The Georgia Tech Invitational did not have team scoring.

At Sewanee, sophomore Grant Murphy led the Emory men, setting a school record in the 3,000-meter run. He won the event with his 8:31.29 time, breaking the previous school record of 8:41.22, set back in 2004 by Paul Tufaro at the Charlotte Invitational (N.C.).

Freshman Shane Sullivan added a second-place finish in the same event, closely following Murphy with an 8:42.82 time, which is the third-fastest 3,000-meter time in Emory’s history.

Senior Kevin Delaney improved his 800-meter run time, setting a career-best of 1:55.98, which placed him third. This marked the second-straight week in which he improved his career time. The time marked the best time in this event by any Eagle this season, and the eighth-fastest time in the UAAs this season.

Senior James Bassen also added a season-best recording in the hammer throw. He threw a distance of 39.29 meters, which placed him third in the competition.

The men added five more first-place finishes at Sewanee. Sophomore Ian McIsaac won the 400-meter dash in 51.48 seconds. Freshman Benjamin Rogin won the 110-meter hurdles in 15.48 seconds. Junior Adam Rabushka won the 400-meter hurdles in 54.32 seconds. Junior Spencer Koh won the pole vault, clearing the bar with 4.25 meters. Freshman Charlie Hu won the triple jump with his 12.77-meter distance.

Freshman Will Siuta added a fourth-place finish in the 100-meter dash with his 11.51-second time. He also placed second in the 200-meter dash (23.12 seconds), followed by Koh, who placed third (22.84 seconds).

Sophomore Jake Schlessinger placed fourth in the 1,500-meter run, with a time of 4:07.34. In the high jump, senior Scott Greathouse placed second at 1.85 meters. Junior Jack Seigel placed second in the discus throw with 41.84 meters.

Emory’s 4x400-meter relay team of junior Andrew Hemingway, sophomore Brandon Cromer, freshman Greg Litle and Delaney placed second with a 3:36.07 time.

For the women at Sewanee, senior Hannah Smith led the team, winning the 3,000-meter run with her 10:20.56 time, which ties for the eighth-fastest time in Emory women’s track’s history.

The 4x100-meter relay team, consisting of freshmen Caitlin Cheeseboro, Julia Leventhal and Erica Goldman and junior Alexandra Aiello, finished second with a 49.90 second time. The team notched Emory’s best 4x100-meter relay time this season, and the second-best time in the UAAs this year.

Freshman Dara Liss won two field events at Sewanee. She first won the pole vault, clearing the bar at 2.90 meters, then won the triple jump, recording 9.79 meters.

Senior Hannah Parra also picked up a first-place finish in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:06.53, and freshman Abigail Hotaling won the 3,000-meter steeplechase with her 12:00.28 time.

Aiello also competed in the 400-meter dash, where she placed fourth with her 12.74-second time, and in the 200-meter dash, where she placed third (26.53 seconds), followed by Leventhal, whose 26.48-second time placed her second. Goldman placed fourth in the same event with a 26.55 time.

Sophomore Liz Magno placed third in the 400-meter dash (1:02.21), and sophomore Erica Fischer placed fourth in the 1,500-meter run (5:02.48).

In the long jump, sophomore Mandy Wakefield placed third with 4.48 meters. She also placed third in the triple jump with a 9.69-meter distance.

Freshman Sarah Strausser picked up a fourth-place finish in the discus throw, measuring a distance of 27.95 meters. She also placed fourth in the hammer throw with a 33.88-meter distance.

Across town at Georgia Tech, three Eagles placed over the weekend. On Friday, freshman Jordan Flowers placed 25th in the 1,500-meter run with his 4:00.94 time. Junior Lukas Mees placed 37th in the same event with his 4:05.91 time.

On Saturday, senior Stephanie Crane finished 32nd in the 800-meter run with her 2:16.36 time. It marked her best time of the season in the event, and the fifth-best time by anyone in the UAAs this year.

The Eagles have now begun preparing for the UAA Championships.

“It’s a home meet, which only happens every four years, so we hope that people will come out and support us,” Williamson said.

Athletes will find out within the next couple of days which events they will compete in, according to junior Max Hoberman.

“We will work with Coach [John Curtin] to figure out the balance between what we want to do, what we’re best at and what will maximize the team points,” Hoberman said, who will be competing in the shorter sprints, triple jump and long jump. “Individually, we will be working on each [of our] event[s], but everyone is working to stay fit and healthy and [on their] technique.”

On Saturday, April 25, field events will include the men and women’s long jump, shot put, pole vault and hammer throw.

The running events will include the men’s and women’s 10,000-meter run finals, 3,000-meter steeplechase finals and the 4x800-meter relay finals.

Trial events will include the women’s 100-meter hurdles, men’s 110-meter hurdles, men and women’s 400-meter dash, 100-meter dash, 800-meter run, 400-meter hurdles and the 200-meter dash.

On Sunday, field events will include the men’s and women’s javelin, triple jump, high jump and discus throw.

Running events will include the finals for the men’s and women’s 4x100-meter relay, 1,500-meter run, 100 and 110-meter hurdles, 400-meter dash, 100-meter dash, 800-meter dash, 400-meter hurdles, 200-meter dash, 5,000-meter run and 4x400-metrer relay.

At last years’ UAA Championships, on both the men and women’s side, Washington University in St. Louis (Mo.) won the competition with 215 points for the men and 211 points for the women. Carnegie Mellon University (Penn.) placed second on the men’s side with 166 points, while University of Chicago (Ill.) placed second with 201 points for the women.

The Emory men and women both placed third last year, the men with 141.5 points and the women with 155 points.

“I think we could get at least third. We’re obviously aiming for higher, but anything can happen,” Williamson said. “With the meet being [at] home, we will hopefully have a lot of support and we can exceed expectations.”

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