Both the men’s and women’s track and field teams turned in strong performances at the Samford Invitational in Birmingham (Ala.) on Friday and Saturday, with two Eagles breaking indoor school records.
On the women’s side, senior Aileen Rivell earned her place in the Emory record books with a dazzling performance in the 3,000-meter run, posting a time of 10:03.38, which broke the old record by over four seconds. The time was good enough to place second overall in the event.
For the men, sophomore Daniel Pietsch ran a blistering 48.09 in the 400m dash, which not only topped the school record by almost half a second, but also earned him the fastest time in Division III this season.
Although the meet wasn’t scored, both teams had a number of strong individual races against tough competition. The invitational included runners from a number of Division I schools, including the University of Georgia, the University of Alabama and Texas State University.
The women’s team dominated the 5,000-meter run, with sophomore Tru Powell and junior Sophie Cemaj crossing the line in first and second, respectively. Senior Julie Williamson ran in the top heat in the 800-meter run and finished in fifth among a crowded field with a time of 2:15.25.
A couple of freshmen turned in big performances as well. Freshman Clare Ubersax finished ninth in the mile run with a time of 5:14.01, leading a crowd of underclassman Emory runners including sophomore Gabrielle Stravach (19th) and Gabrielle Rudolph (21st). Freshman Amanda Martin finished ninth in the 3,000-meter run, behind the record-setting Rivell and just ahead of Emory sophomore Abigail Hotaling, who finished eleventh.
The men’s team saw sophomore Max Brown win the mile run with a time of 4:11.74, with junior Michael McBane not far behind, finishing tenth. Sophomore Shane Sullivan grabbed second place in the 5,000-meter run, while junior Michael Sisario was tenth.
The Emory men performed well in the field events as well. Senior Max Hoberman finished eighth in the triple jump, and freshman Zachary Lembersky earned tenth place in the weight throw.
The Eagles will travel to Sewanee (Tenn.) on Friday, Feb. 19 for the Sewanee Indoor Invitational. It’ll be the final meet for both teams before the University Athletic Association (UAA) Indoor Championships, hosted by New York University (NY) on Feb. 27 and 28.
Associate Editor | Ryan Smith is a College senior from Philadelphia majoring in journalism and American studies. He loves journalism and collegiate athletics, and thus considers it a miracle that he’s survived three years at Emory. He joined the Wheel his freshman year as Assistant Sports Editor before serving as Sports Editor and Features Editor. His work has appeared on SB Nation, Uproxx, Atlanta Magazine, Rivals, 247Sports and various DUC napkins, among other places. Nowadays, he can be found covering University of South Florida athletics for Bulls247.com.
