After a balmy 80-degree and sunny week on the Hilltop, the Georgetown University track and field team headed to Durham, N.C. to compete in freezing temperatures and rainy weather at the Duke Invitational on April 6-8.
The Hoyas weathered the storm, showing strong early season results across the board while competing against top-tier NCAA teams, including Villanova University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University, to show that they will be a force to be reckoned with in the upcoming outdoor season.
Georgetown’s most notable efforts came from its stacked women’s 800-meter invitational heat. Sophomore Melissa Riggins continued her remarkable middle-distance campaign, finishing second overall with a time of 2:04.81 behind only Angel Piccirillo, a Villanova graduate and professional runner. Graduate Katy-Ann McDonald finished sixth overall with a time of 2:07.38.
Both McDonald and Riggins are coming off a glorious indoor season, as they placed fifth in the women’s distance medley relay at the NCAA Division I Indoor Championship in Albuquerque, N.M., last month.
Riggins said she was proud of her performance.
“I think I definitely felt the benefits of my most recent workouts and had a really strong start, and made every move to put myself in a position to win,” Riggins told The Hoya. “The weather was not conducive to fast times, but I think on a better day I could’ve potentially PR’ed.”
Seniors Maggie Donahue and Pippa Nuttall opened their season in the 1500-meter race after running off-events and helping other teammates with pacing over the past couple of weeks. Donahue ran 4:29.47, with Nuttall close behind with a time of 4:31.69. Senior Kate Tavella walked away with a personal best in the 5000-meter, running 17:19.36 for the 12.5 laps — almost 20 seconds faster than her showing at the Raleigh Relays a few weeks earlier.
Tavella said her teammates embodied the Hoya spirit in their grit and determination.
“I’m proud of my teammates for showing the field what it means to ‘compete like a Hoya’ in tough conditions,” Tavella said in an interview with The Hoya. “I am thrilled to have put together a PR performance under the lights as I navigate my final season.”
In the sprints, junior Grace Smiechowski ran a personal best of 15.47 in the 100-meter hurdles alongside teammate sophomore Mackenzie O’Connor, who also ran a personal best of 16.26. First-year Finley McGee marked the opening of her outdoor season in the 400-meter race, running 1:01.29.
On the men’s side, four Hoyas placed in the top seven in the 800-meter invitational race. Senior Theo Woods came away with the overall win with his time of 1:50.80. Senior Matthew Payamps finished fourth overall, running 1:51:20, with teammates senior Matthew Rizzo and junior Abel Teffra close behind.
Payamps shared similar sentiments to Riggins regarding the impact of the weather, especially in such an aggressive and tactical race like the 800-meter.
“It was great practice on racing and competing in uncomfortable situations, which I think is going to be extremely important to prepare us for uncomfortable weather towards championship season,” Payamps said.
Sophomore Nick Medeiros was the top finisher for Georgetown in the 400-meter race, running 50.70 to place 10th overall. This season marks Medeiros’ first time competing outdoors for Georgetown, showing great promise for his career as a Hoya.
Medeiros told The Hoya he is grateful to be competing outdoors with the team and is excited about the rest of the season.
“It feels great to be running again and opening my season with some quick 400s,” Medeiros said. “I think that these races are a great indicator that I can drop some good times in the near future, hopefully at Big East too!”
Senior Parker Stokes represented the Hoyas well in the men’s 1500-meter invite, clocking a time of 3:46.29. First-year Luke Ondracek competed in the 5000-meter invitational, finishing with a time of 14:39.68. First-year Nicholas Givan was the only Hoya who competed in the 200-meter sprint, crossing the line in 22.91 seconds.
The Georgetown track and field team will travel west to Azusa, Calif., for the Bryan Clay Invitational on April 14-15. Hosted by Austin Peay University, Bryan Clay is a historic invitational in track and field, with competitive schools across the country flocking to race against the NCAA’s best runners.
Payamps said the team’s performance in Durham is a promising sign for the rest of the outdoor season.
“If we can continue to compete the way we did this weekend, despite the weather conditions, I think this will bode well for a great season for the team as a whole,” Payamps said.
