The Georgetown University track and field teams kicked off their outdoor season at the Raleigh Relays in Raleigh, N.C., March 27-29. The Hoyas were well-represented, as squad members participated in a variety of events including sprints, hurdles, mid- and long-distance runs. With several personal records, event debuts and notable finishes under their belts, the teams made a strong start to what looks to be a very promising season.
The first day of the competition began with an impressive showing from sophomore Birhanu Harriman in the men’s 10,000-meter. Harriman recorded the second-fastest time in the event in Georgetown history and finished fourth overall out of 125 runners in the event.
The Hoyas began the second competition day with the women’s 100-meter and men’s 110-meter hurdles, with first-year Paris Coleman and sophomore Aiden Tam making their collegiate debuts in the respective events. Coleman and Tam both finished with times of 14.66 and 15.98 in their events.
Later on, four Hoyas competed in the women’s 100-meter, where first-years Sofia Calabretta and Mia Coleman made their event debuts with times of 12.55 and 12.84, respectively. Sophomore Piper Rodgers and junior Jadah Fitzgerald ran together in the same heat and, despite a particularly powerful headwind of -2.5 meters per second, each recorded solid times of 12.34 and 12.56, respectively. In the men’s 100, first-year Aaron Guillame recorded a 10.86, another strong performance, in his event debut.
Next on the schedule was the men’s 400-meter, which saw two athletes record personal bests. First-year Joshua Davenport ran a 48.64, carrying him into a top-50 finish. Sophomore Micah McKenzie recorded a 49.79, his first 400 under 50 seconds in collegiate competition. First-year Jackson McCusker also made his event debut, clocking a 51.61. On the women’s side, graduate student KC Ashiogwu ran a 56.45, also good for a top-50 finish.
To round out the evening, three Hoyas competed in the 1,500-meter event, and one competed in the 5,000-meter. Sophomore Barrett Justema led the way in the 1,500, running an impressive personal record of 4:22:96, which was just enough for her to crack the top 50. First-year Hannah Adrejczyk and senior Angeline Caamano followed Justema with times of 4:30:69 and 4:33:65, both PRs as well. As for the 5,000, graduate student Almi Nerurkar recorded a PR of 15:58:03, a strong run that saw her finish 20th out of over 200 runners.
The Hoyas picked up where they had left off for the final day of competition with the women’s 800-meter, in which sophomore Abbie Huey recorded an impressive 2:08:50 in her event debut. Her run placed her 26th in a pool of 165 runners. Shortly after, senior Mackenzie O’Connor made her debut in the 400-meter hurdles, finishing in the top 40 with a time of 1:04:64. On the men’s side, sophomore Roberto Terrell Jr. clocked in at 51.95 in the 400 hurdles, a strong performance that saw him finish eighth overall out of nearly 60 hurdlers. Junior Nicholas Givan finished just behind Terrell in 10th place with a solid 52:35.
Later in the afternoon, eight Hoyas competed in the men’s and women’s 200-meter race. On the men’s side, Davenport ran a PR of 21.70, while Guillame and Givan followed closely behind with times of 21.74 and 21.84, respectively. On the women’s side, Fitzgerald led the way with a commendable 24.92. Lastly, the Hoyas closed out the weekend with the men’s and women’s 4×400-meter relay. The men’s team, consisting of McKenzie, Davenport, Terrell Jr. and Guillame, finished 13th overall with a time of 3:14:64. The women’s team, composed of Ashiogwu, Huey, O’Connor and Fitzgerald, finished 25th overall with a time of 3:50:88.
The Hoyas will build on their strong start next weekend at the Florida Relays in Gainesville, Fla., where they will compete Friday, April 4 and Saturday, April 5.