The Emory men’s and women’s track and field teams participated in two meets over the weekend and set 14 season-best marks. Led by Head Coach John Curtin, the teams sent athletes to the Furman Blue Shoes Invitational and the Johnson C. Smith University Invitational on Saturday afternoon.
“It was another crazy weekend with kids competing in three different meets trying to get the competition they need leading into our UAA [University Athletic Association] Championships,” Curtin said. “The extra effort paid off with a large number of personal bests and a couple Emory all-time records. I think the meet put us in good position going into the Championship season.”
Emory also sent senior Theresa Ford to the Bulldog Heptathlon in Athens, Georgia. Ford placed third with a score of 4729, the highest score ever recorded by an Eagle.
“Scoring 4729 points in your heptathlon debut is unheard of particularly setting 6 personal bests along the way,” Curtin said. “Theresa is a gifted kid and we have known for a long time she had great potential as a multi- event athlete. I’m just glad that she decided to take on the challenge before her career ends and to do it in record setting fashion made it all the better.”
At the Furman Blue Shoes Invitational, sophomore Debora Adjibaba broke her own school record in the 200-meter dash, posting a time of 24.64 and placing fourth in the event.
“Debora is really locked in right now in the 200,” Curtin said. “She seems to knock the record down a little every week and has positioned herself solidly near the top of the national rankings. Our sprint group as a whole is running really well right now.”
Senior Kaele Leonard ran in the same event and finished fifth, posting a time of 25.39. Leonard went on to place first in the 400-meter dash with a time of 56.71 seconds, while Adjibaba finished third in the 100-meter dash, posting a time of 12.26 seconds. Adjibaba and Leonard also joined seniors Pollara Cobb and Morgan Monroe to run on the 4×100-meter relay team, posting a time of 47.68 seconds and finishing second in the event. Sophomore Electra Korn broke her career best time in the 400-meter hurdles, posting a time of 1:05.26 and placing second in the event. Sophomore Stephanie Crane ran a 4:41.90 and placed first in the 1500 meter, and second place in the 800-meter with a time of 2:24.21.
Freshman Janay Harris participated in three events for the Eagles, throwing for a season-best 10.44 meters in the shot put and placing second in the event.
Harris also finished second in the hammer throw with a distance of 28.57 meters, and seventh in the discus throw with a distance of 22.50 meters. Sophomore Anja Matthes finished fourth in the high jump with 1.55 meters and sixth in the long jump with a distance of 4.79 meters. For the men’s team, freshman Adam Rabushka placed third in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 55.85, the lowest time by a UAA runner this season.
Freshman Max Hoberman also finished third in his 400-yard dash with a time of 50.26, while senior Isaac chambers finished sixth in the same event with a time of 50.53. Sophomore Ankush Mohile finhed first in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 15.81 seconds, while sophomore James Bassen finished first in the javelin throw with a distance of 49.02 meters.
At the Johnson C. Smith University Invitational in Charlotte, N.C., sophomore Tyler Cooke finished in third place in the steeplechase with a time of 10:39.22, and sophomore Louis Mennel finished in second place in the pole vault with a distance of 3.95 meters.
The Emory men’s and women’s track and field teams will return next weekend when they take part in the Auburn War Eagle Invitational and the Mount Laurel Invitational, as they continue to prepare for the UAA Championships.
– By Brian Chavkin
Photo courtesy of Emory Athletics
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