Building on momentum from the indoor season, the men’s and women’s track teams saw strong performances all around at their outdoor opener, earning two school records the Sam Howell Invitational.
Kaitlin Whitehorn ’16 placed second in the 200-meter dash, continuing her success from the winter, when she finished fourth in the 60-meter dash at the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships. In the 200 on Saturday, the sophomore crossed the line in 24.29, a new school record.
Whitehorn also teamed up with three other sophomores, Jennifer Meech ’16, Sara Kikut ’16 and Anna Kikut ’16 in the 4x100-meter relay. Competing together for the first time, the team won the race in 46.72, another school record.
Whitehorn capped off a big weekend with a seventh-place finish in the long jump, clearing a distance of 5.35 meters.
Women’s head coach Sandy Ford-Centonze said she has high hopes for the season. The team will work on being more aggressive in hand-offs, so the outgoing runner feels confident enough to take off quickly, knowing the hand-off will be made in time.
The 4x400-meter relay team of Janae Dunchack ’14, Katy Sprout ’17, Megan Krumpoch ’14 and Meech won its race in 3:48.72.
Krumpoch also won the 400-meter hurdles, an event unique to the outdoor season. Despite a lack of practice time on the outdoor track, Krumpoch won the event in 59.99, the only competitor to break the one-minute mark.
“We only had one day last week when we were able to go outside and hurdle,” Krumpoch said. “We made do indoors but it was a little difficult.”
In the distance events, Sarah Delozier ’15 was the top collegiate finisher in the steeplechase, finishing in 10:36.96. Delozier, who placed second overall, was almost two seconds ahead of the next collegiate competitor. Bridget End ’14 ran a 17:09.48 in the 5,000-meter race, good enough for 10th overall.
Will Geoghegan ’14 headlined the men’s events with a win in the 1,500-meter run in 3:49.89. Men’s head coach Barry Harwick said the senior maintained control of the race.
Steve Mangan ’14 also performed well, finishing second in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 14:19.11. Curtis King ’16 placed fourth in Friday’s 10,000-meter run with a time of 30:18.30. The race was King’s first attempt at the distance, and Harwick noted the athlete’s promise in the event.
Henry Sterling ’14 opened his season in the steeplechase with a strong time of 9:04.53, earning second place. Although Sterling’s goal was to run under nine minutes to qualify for regionals, he is confident he will make that time soon.
“This year, I am in the mindset of extending my season,” Sterling said. “I want to be in my best form at the end of May.”
To prepare for the steeplechase, Sterling does hurdle drills, works on the water jump and tries to increase his flexibility and mobility.
On the sprints side, Nico Robinson ’17 finished in fifth place in the 110-meter hurdles in a time of 14.95. Jalil Bishop ’14 ran a 49.56 in the 400-meter race, capturing ninth overall. In the men’s 400-meter hurdles, Edward Wagner ’16 turned in a 53.30 in the fastest heat of the day and took third overall.
The teams will send a small group of athletes to this weekend’s George Mason Invitational, in Fairfax, Va., while most of the team will be racing at the Wildcat Invitational at the University of New Hampshire on April 12.
