Last weekend at the Sun Angel Classic at Arizona State, the Hoyas’ track and field team didn’t think twice about the blistering heat and featured especially strong performances from the sprinters.

The Hoya sprinters once again stole the spotlight this past weekend with another exceptional race from graduate student Kenny Mitchell. The same speed that graced Mitchell as a football star has led to his dominance on the track. He raced in the Premiere 100-meter dash and once again broke his own school record with a time of 10.39.

Although Mitchell placed second, he continues to show his strength and speed week in and week out. He also raced in the Premiere 200m dash and placed fifth with a time of 20.98.

In the hurdles, junior Chris Kinney continues to find his rhythm in his most dominant event. He placed third in the 110m hurdles with a time of 14.08 followed by sophomore Biyerem Okengwu, who placed 20th with a time of 14.96. In the 400m hurdles, junior Toby Ulm ran an exceptional 50.58 and placed fourth.

Graduate student Nene Kamate had a disappointing race after coming off a strong outing throughout March. She placed sixth in the 100m dash finals with a time of 11.91. Junior Deidra Sanders, on the other hand, helped to demonstrate the Hoyas’ sprinting depth and ran an impressive 55.16 in the 400m dash finals to place third. Senior Abigail Johnson and freshman Amanda Kimbers both raced in Premiere events last weekend.

Johnson has always been the hub of the women’s sprinting team and raced in the Premiere 400m dash and ran a mediocre 55.32 to place sixth. As a freshman just getting used to the high-pressured competition, Kimbers performed well in the Premiere 100m dash with a time of 11.84 and placed sixth. She also raced in the Premiere 200m dash and placed 10th with a time of 24.04.

Together, the women’s sprinters combined their speed in the 4x400m relay and placed an impressive third, running a 3:38.96. Kamate opened the first leg of the relay followed by Johnson, sophomore London Finley and Kimbers.

The men’s mid-distance runners had a slow weekend in the 800m. Sophomore Theon O’Connor ran a 151.28 and placed seventh, while senior Danny Harris placed 16th with a time of 1:52.50.

Coach Miltenberg’s mid-distance and distance runners performed well once again. Graduate student Christine Whalen, who has had a strong past couple of weeks, raced in the Premiere 800m. She ran 2:07.31 – phenomenal for this early in the Outdoor season – and placed fourth. Senior Lauren Gregory also ran in a Premiere race. She placed 14th in the 1500m with a time of 4:24.99. In the other 1500m race, however, the Hoya women took over the track. Graduate student Avril Ogrodnick finished first followed by freshman sensation Rachel Schneider in second place and sophomore Lauren Borduin in seventh. Their times were 4:22.55, 4:22.61 and 4:26.03, respectively.

Other Highlights:

• Freshman Kadeem Hunter got a taste of the big leagues by racing in the Premiere 200m dash. He placed 12th and ran a 21.73. He also raced in the 100m dash finals with a time of 47.89.
• Sophomore Austin Perron raced in the 400m dash and continues to run impressive times, especially after a great weekend at the Colonial Relays two weeks ago. At the Sun Angel Classic, Perron ran a 47.89 to place sixth.
• Senior Alex Bean had a somewhat disappointing weekend. He raced in the Premiere 1500m race, but placed ninth with a time of 3:47.79.
• The 4x400m relay with Danny Harris, Theon O’Connor, Toby Ulm, and Austin Perron only faired a little better than two weeks ago. They ran a 3:12.56 and placed ninth.