Track teams improve Big East rankings

Kate McAvey

 Both the men’s and women’s track teams left their competitors staring at their heels this weekend as both teams improved their Big East rankings.  At the Princeton Quad Meet, Cody Harper dominated the 1500-meter run, winning the race with a qualifying time of 3:53.12. Harper qualified for the Big East Championship, while juniors Chris Williams and Brian Long came close to qualifying when they finished the race in fifth and sixth place, respectively. With a time of 10.99 seconds, senior Michael Lynch was able to win the 100-meter dash.  His 200-meter dash time of 21.7 also earned him first place.

In the 400-meter dash, junior Chris Kearney earned himself a qualifying time after clocking in at 48.77 seconds. Freshman Carton Bowers finished the race in 48.97, also earning a qualifying time. Junior Stefan Goodridge finished third in the 400-meter hurdles, improving his Big East standing with a time of 52.37.

The women’s team was just as impressive in sunny Florida, winning a number of events. For the field events, in the javelin sophomore Julia Arduini threw 41.73 meters earning first place while teammate junior Ashlyn Llerandi came in second for pole vault, clearing 3.9 meters. Audrey Gariepy-Bogui earned herself a qualifying spot with a 1.72-meter jump in the high jump.  

Sophomore Christie Verdier qualified for the conference meet in the 400-meter dash with a finishing time of 55.97. Both Shericka Ward and Kristen Mahon had their best performances in the hurdles.  Ward crossed the finish line fourth in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 13.39, while Mahon finished fourth in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:00.84. 

In the 800-meter run, Sheila Reid earned seventh place coming in at 2:10.89. Reid won the 1500-meter run  with a time of 4:20.68. Mimic finished behind Reid, who was then followed by senior Nicole Schappert and freshman Brooke Simpson.