BOSTON, Mass. -- Despite it being early in the season, and most athletes coming off a competition just six days before, the Yale women's track and field team showed off many solid performances while competing at the John Thomas Terrier Classic this Friday at the BU Track and Tennis Center. Competing in a slew of new events, the Bulldogs showed strength and confidence as they grabbed countless season's bests and personal records.
Kicking off the day, Addison Coy competed in her first-ever 60 meter hurdle race. Coy crossed the line in 9.65 seconds, with teammate Natasha Feshbach coming in closely behind in 10.96. In the next event of the day, four middle distance and distance runners demonstrated their ranges competing in the 800 meters. Kayley DeLay ran a new personal best, easily winning her heat of the race and clocking a time of 2:11.94. In the next heat, Kosana Weir recorded her own personal record, narrowly missing the 2:13 mark and running an impressive 2:14.01. Megan Quimby just missed her personal best, still finishing in a strong 2:15.15, while distance runners Jane Miller and Rachel Suss both ventured into the 800 for the first time in college to run a 2:18.97 and 2:19.39 respectively.
During the field portion of the day, it was pole vaulter Erin Gerardo who made a wave for the Bulldogs. Gerardo's consistency paid off as she claimed a third-place finish with a jump of 3.85 meters, which matches her personal best. In the 60 meter dash, Aliya Boshnak and Sophie Isom both crossed the line in 8.02 seconds, with Emma Osborne and Sydney McCord also finishing in nearly identical times of 8.22 and 8.21 seconds. In the invitational portion of the 60 meter dash, Lillian Enes finished 15th overall in a time of 7.93 seconds, followed closely by Ava Thomas in 7.94 and Libby McMahon in 7.95. Samantha Friborg once again raced down in length this weekend. Despite typically focusing on the 800 meters, she claimed the top Bulldog finish in the 400 meters running a 59.28, while Yale's Ariel Claxton finished in 59.33.
Returning after the 800, Quimby and Weir both had strong showings in the 500 meters, with Quimby running a 1:19.32 to place her in the top half of a crowded field. In the women's 1,000 meters, Arianna Lord finished in a time less than a second off of her personal best, an impressive feat this early in the season. Lord clocked a time of 2:54.22, while Friborg finished in 2:57.34. First year Nicole Dirks and junior Sarah Pillard made their debuts in the 1,000 on Friday evening, with Dirks finishing in 3:01.83 in her first collegiate track meet.
The Bulldogs had a large contingent in the 200 meters, led by McMahon who ran a huge personal best of 24.83 to finish fifth overall out of 180 athletes. Enes, Isom, Thomas, Osborne and Angele Kelly also all claimed finishing spots well in the top half of the field. In the mile, DeLay shown once again, winning her competitive heat in a blazing time of 4:48.96. Despite a slow start to her race, Miller recorded a personal best time of 4:59.18.
In the 4x400 meter relay, the Bulldogs sprint team consisting of Claxton, Coy, Isom and McMahon claimed a third-place finish out of nearly 30 teams. Meanwhile in the longest event of the night for the Bulldogs, Gemma Shepherd, Kelli Hines, Zoe Nuechterlein and Hannah Steffke had very strong performances across 3,000 meters. Shepherd led the way with a quick time of 9:46.57, while Hines had an especially strong showing, running a 10:11.41 in her first collegiate track race. This was also the first 3,000 meter race for Nuechterlein, who crossed the line in 10:18.84 with Steffke just seconds behind in 10:22.94.
Overall, the Bulldogs displayed incredibly strength and consistency for so early in the season, make a promising statement for what is to come in February and the outdoor season. Full results from Friday's meet can be found here.
