The Hoyas split meets this past weekend between the Mt. SAC Relays in California and the Larry Ellis Invitational meet at Princeton University. With the season winding down, the Hoyas have begun to ease into their comfort zones and are responding with faster times. The sprinters and distance runners both took control in their races despite the terrible weather that plagued the meet. Rain pelted the track along with chilly winds in Princeton, N.J., where Georgetown has usually been welcomed with warm sunshine in the past.
The 1,500m race has been Hoya territory all year long. Graduate student Christine Whalen won the race with a 4:21.21, followed by freshman Emily Jones, who recently returned from a lengthened season of cross country after competing at the Junior World Championships in Poland. Jones ran 4:28.36 and placed fifth in the 1,500m. Senior Lauren Gregory came in sixth and ran a 4:29.21, followed by graduate student Lise Ogrodnick, who ran a 4:31.12 to place seventh.
In only her second steeplechase ever, senior Kelsey Malmquist put on a respectable performance in the 3,000m steeplechase with a PR of 10:33.11.
“Everyone had hopes of running fast times but when you get there and see those conditions, it’s really easy to get discouraged,” Assistant Coach Chris Miltenberg said. “I was really proud because whether things are going to be perfect or not you just go up there and execute the plan and compete tough and the girls competed tough.”
The men also followed up with a strong performance in the 3,000m steeplechase. Graduate student Alex Mason won with a time of 8:58.09 while freshman Dylan Sorenson, who has been on a huge tear recently, came in fifth with a time of 9:04.74.
The sprinters and relay teams also performed well this past weekend. The women’s 4x100m relay team marked the success of the weekend by breaking a school record with a time of 45.50 – enough to win first place. Freshman Tenille Stoudenmire led off the first leg followed by senior Sarah Wernik, graduate student Nene Kamate and freshman Amanda Kimbers.
Despite the win, Kimbers believes that the team has much to improve upon.
“We have a lot to work on in handoffs,” she said. “If we’ve already had so many accomplishments now, when we finally get it perfected we can go very far in [the NCAA championships]. We’re a great team and all work really hard and it’s great to be around a team that all has the same goals.”
The men’s 4x100m team also had a great weekend, placing second with a time of 41.39. The team, comprised of junior Sean Suber, freshman Christian Tobias, freshman Kadeem Hunter and graduate student Kenny Mitchell, has been somewhat inconsistent this season due to frequent lineup changes, but performed well after finally adjusting to the speed of the race.
Senior Abigail Johnson, a star of the team throughout her career, took over the track in the 400m dash with a 54.13.
The hurdlers made sure they were not left to gather in the dust of the sprinters and distance runners. Kamate won the 100m hurdles with a time of 14.19. After recovering from an injury earlier this season, junior Chris Kinney showed why he’s a star by placing second in the 110m hurdles with a time of 13.89. Sophomore Biyerem Okengwu also had a great race, placing fourth with a time of 14.42.
Sophomore London Finley won the 400m hurdles as well, running a 1:00.23, which illustrated the growth of the hurdling team.
Last but not least, graduate student Andrew Bumbalough made his return this past weekend in Walnut, Calif. Bumbalough placed fourth in the Olympic Development 5,000m race with a time of 13:49, qualifying him for the regional finals. His time also qualified him for the NCAA preliminary round.
Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Patrick Henner put Bumbalough in the second heat of the Olympic Development in order to ensure a more conservative pace throughout the race. After sitting out an entire indoor season and the first couple weeks of the outdoor season, Bumbalough is as focused as could be on qualifying for the Big East championships.
“During my time off I realized, as many athletes do, how much they actually love competing,” Bumbalough said. “Having to sit out was no fun. Traveling out to the meet and chilling in your hotel room and even the warm-ups were a lot of fun. I really took notice to the small things and really enjoyed the experience.”
Other Highlights:
– Senior Levi Miller competed in the 5,000m Run Open A race with a time of 14:01 and placed sixth.
– In the 800m, sophomore Theon O’Connor ran a 1:49.77 and placed third. Senior Alex Bean ran a 1:51.67 and placed ninth.
– In the women’s 200m dash, four sprinters placed in the top seven. Stoudenmire ran a 24.22 and placed first, adding to her record-breaking weekend. Kamate ran a time of 24.23 to place second. Wernik placed fifth with a time of 24.66, followed by junior Deidra Sanders in seventh with a time of 24.87.
– In the 200m dash, junior Toby Ulm tied for third, running a 21.70. Tobias placed fifth with at time of 21.72.
– The men’s 4x400m relay did very well finishing with a 3:17.07 and placing second. Senior Danny Harris led off, followed by sophomore Austin Perron, graduate student Chris Taylor and Mitchell.
– Taylor also finished 25th in the javelin and threw 41.18m, even though Georgetown does not have a javelin program.
