The Emory track and field team produced mixed results at the University Athletic Association (UAA) Indoor Championships on Feb. 24 and 25 at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass. Among a field of seven teams, the women’s team finished in third place with a total of 121 points, while the men’s team finished last with 39 points.
On the women’s side, seniors Dani Bland and Dilys Osei led the way for the Eagles as they captured first place in the 60m (7.83) and 200m (25.72) dashes, respectively. Bland defended her 2018 title in the event, winning by 0.12 seconds as she beat out fellow Emory sophomore Rebekah Bondi. In the 200m dash, Osei edged out Bland by 0.07 seconds. Along with her gold in the 200m, Osei earned second place in the 60m hurdles (8.92).
Several other Eagles also reached the podium. Senior Paris Wagner skillfully beat the school record in the weight throw and recorded a second place mark of 16.20m. Danielle LeSure has held the previous record since the 2002 UAA Championships with 15.86m.
Freshman Hannah Lansberry added another second-place finish for the Eagles in the 400m with her personal best time of 59.10. In the 1,200m medley relay, the team of senior Kayla O’Shea, sophomore Angela Cao, sophomore Carrie McIntyre and freshman Belle Brown earned a third-place finish with a time of 12:17.73. Lastly, junior Greta Wilker took third place in the shot put with a mark of 12.24 m.
Despite its loss, the men’s team still delivered impressive performances. Freshman Brett Henshey and sophomore Liam Fost earned first-place finishes in the high jump and the 400m dash, respectively. Henshey took the gold in the high jump and set a personal record of 2.04m in the process. Fost won the 400m championship, placing sixth highest in school history.
Henshey said the team was not that disappointed because it earned more points than last year.
“We’re really young and we have 14 or 15 freshmen,” Henshey said. “With a lot of people returning, we hope to do really well in the spring [and] next year. A lot of people are coming off injury. Definitely in the spring, we’re hoping to get top three.”
The Eagles will send athletes to Roanoke College (Va.) and Tufts University (Mass.) next weekend before the NCAA Indoor Championships, which will take place March 8 and 9 in Boston.
