The Lafayette track and field team kicked off its indoor season last Saturday at the Bison Opener hosted by Bucknell University. Talented Lafayette athletes from both men’s and women’s squads obtained top-three finishes in several events.
On the women’s side, senior Grace O’Mara had a productive weekend, finishing in the top three in two different events. O’Mara finished second in the women’s weight throw (50’ 1.25”), and third place in the women’s shot put (40’5”). Sophomore Julia Greeley placed third in the pole vault, catapulting herself to a height of 13’3.5”.
In the mile-run, junior Lily Dineen mustered a fourth-place finish with a time of 5:32.05. Sophomore Sara Tippin was less than a second behind Dineen for a fifth-place finish of 5:32.79. Freshman Bridget Cote secured a fourth-place finish in the 500-meter run with a time of 1:23.72, and classmate Katherine Pappas came in not far behind her with a time of 1:24.08.
On the men’s side, sophomore Jack Lynett took home the Leopards’ first individual victory of the indoor season in the pole vault with a mark of 4.30 meters.
“This was definitely a good start, but we all still have a lot to work on, and we are definitely looking better especially with a lot of returning and younger guys,” Lynett said. “I am excited to see what we can do going forward in the season.”
In addition to Lynett’s impressive victory, freshman Roman Conca placed sixth in the 60-meter sprint in his first career meet, logging a time of 7.06 seconds. This time put him on the Lafayette all-time top-ten list in the event. Conca also placed eighth in the 200m in 23.08 seconds.
More success was attained in the men’s 4×400-meter relay, as they secured a fifth-place finish. The foursome of Conca, sophomore C.J. Romine, freshman Theodore Robertson and sophomore Sohan De Silva ran a time of 3:35.29. In the men’s triple jump, sophomore Quinn Curtain came in fifth overall, jumping 12.92 meters.
This was a notable performance from the Maroon and White. Their freshman and sophomore in particular put on promising performances, indicating a bright future for the Lafayette track and field program.
“We do have a lot of young guys. It’s really good since the freshman has the most drive and feel like they have a lot to prove. The younger guys want to show that they can compete with the older guys, and the older guys want to prove they can beat the freshman, so the younger and older guys really push each other,” Lynett said.
The Leopards have a lot of time to prepare themselves for their next meet, which they aim to use to their advantage.
“We definitely have a lot to work on individually and have a lot of time to improve on those things. We have a month to incorporate what we learned at this meet into the next one,” Lynett said.
The Leopards will resume competition at the Spartan Invite in Staten Island on Jan. 13.