TRACK Hoyas Qualify at Penn State GU Gives Outstanding Performances at Open By Scott Homa Hoya Staff Writer

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., Jan. 26 – With their championship meets fast approaching, the Georgetown men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams saw last weekend’s Penn State National Open as a prime opportunity to add to their already impressive list of qualifying times. And it was an opportunity they did not squander, as the Hoyas ran to NCAA qualifying marks in four events and set several personal records.

“I was very pleased with the effort I saw,” Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Ron Helmer said. “In most cases where we felt we had to get something done, we did.”

The men’s 5,000m run and the women’s distance medley relay highlighted the first day of competition, as the Hoyas registered a pair of NCAA qualifiers.

Graduate student Kyle Smits followed his two victories at the Rutgers Invitational with a 14:16.53, fifth place showing in the 5,000m run. The time earns Smits a spot in the middle of the NCAA qualifiers list in the event.

“The plan was to go along with Ben Cooke, who’s a professional that’s been training with us, so we definitely went out aggressively,” Smits said. “We were shooting for 14 flat, but I stiffened up towards the end of the race, and was a little disappointed not to hit our goal. It’s still promising to make the provisional time, and it’s early enough that there will be more opportunities to improve as the season goes on.”

In a very competitive field, the women’s distance medley relay team of junior Jill Laurendeau, graduate student Heather Blackard and sophomores Treniere Clement and Monica Hargrove edged Villanova for victory, and garnered the Hoyas another NCAA qualifying time. Clement opened by running a personal record in her 1200m leg of the race.

“That’s by far the best Treniere has ever run,” Helmer said. “She had great composure, kept herself together, and got up there and kept the race competitive.”

Clement passed the baton to Hargrove, who ran a blistering second leg of the relay, moving the team from third place into the lead, which they held for the remainder of the race.

“The biggest part of the race was Treniere, because she was up against some big-time girls,” Blackard said. “Then Monica’s 400 really put the pressure on. It was nice to be ahead, and take over in front, and Jill closed it out with a huge mile.”

For Laurendeau, the win comes on the heels of two other outstanding races this season, in which she earned NCAA qualifications in both the 800m and 3,000m runs.

“Jill always gives everything she has,” Helmer said. “She’s a big time competitor, the kind that people stand up to watch, because she gives great efforts every time out.”

Laurendeau continued her tear into the second day of competition at the National Open, winning the mile in an NCAA qualifying time of 4:45.54. Senior Emily Enstice followed in fifth, and recent Georgetown graduate Katrina de Boer helped keep the tempo of the race fast for Laurendeau by setting the pace before dropping out of the race by design.

“The mile was a little easier than the DMR, since I was running by myself,” Laurendeau said. “I was more relaxed, and having Katrina in the race as a rabbit allowed me to find a rhythm and sustain and increase it.”

Hargrove followed her performance in the distance medley by running a leg on the second-place 4x400m relay team and winning the 500m run. Running in multiple events didn’t slow Hargrove down, as she notched a personal record in the 500m, her third race of the competition.

“The key for me is to just run each race like it’s my only one, and not focus on other events later in the day,” Hargrove said.

Sophomore Amanda Pape garnered another NCAA qualifying time, crossing the line of the 3,000m run in 9:35.58. Junior All-American Erin Sicher (9:39.39), senior Lorena Adams (9:49.37) and freshman Jodee Adams-Moore (9:51.45) followed with ECAC qualifying times.

“Coming into the race, most of the girls had faster times than me, so I was instructed just to hold on to them,” Pape said. “The race went a little slower than expected, but we ran together, tried to push it up a bit, and work through it as a team. That took the nervousness out of it, and allowed us to focus more on the splits.”

The NCAA qualification was the first of the season for Pape, a star cross-country runner and 5,000m specialist. Helmer plans to run Pape in the 5,000 later in the season, and is using the shorter races mainly to help prepare her for the postseason.

“I’m very happy with how Amanda is coming along,” Helmer said. “This weekend was a big breakthrough for her, and being on the national performance list shows that she has really stepped up to a different level.”

Senior Tyrona Heath notched GU’s fourth NCAA provisional time over the weekend, running 2:07.42 in the 800m run to claim runner-up honors.

The men’s 3,000m run provided the backdrop for one of the most exciting races of the weekend, as four-time Olympian Marcus O’Sullivan broke the master’s world record with a time of 8:09.13. Junior Dylan Welsh ran a personal best, finishing a close three spots behind O’Sullivan with an Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America (IC4A) qualifying time of 8:16.02.

Senior John Marquiss, who previously set a school record in the 400m dash, ran his fastest time in two years to claim runner-up honors in the event on Saturday. Marquiss also combined with senior Jeff Reinhardt, and juniors Ezra Richards and Robert Wingate-Robinson to take second in the 4×400 relay. Both performances easily meet IC4A standards.

Other top-five performances came from Wingate-Robinson in the 200m dash, junior Wasim Greaves in the 800m run, and senior Josh Rollins in the high jump.

The men’s distance medley relay team also claimed fourth place at the Adidas Boston Indoor Games, with an NCAA provisionally qualifying time of 9:42.13.

“Everyone has raised the bar this season,” Welsh said. “When one person does well, everyone else just naturally follows with a great performance of their own.”

Next weekend both teams will travel to Fairfax, Va. for the George Mason Invitational.

“It will be a nice, competitive meet,” Helmer said. “We’ll go in as a team to have fun, using it as a workout for some, and an opportunity for others to get some great times.”