The track and field team continued its season by competing at the Fast Track Indoor Collegiate Qualifier on Friday afternoon in Staten Island.
Two freshmen had impressive performances at the meet. First-year distance runner Ashleigh Lustgarten finished second in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 10:06.65 while fellow freshman distance runner Kira Marr crossed the finish line in fifth with a time of 10:23.15.
“I think that when younger team members have successes, it is really exciting because we then know that they still have the rest of their college career to continue getting faster and developing their skills,” Lustgarten said. “It shows that the team in successive years can be successful and strong and hopefully get even better overall.”
Lustgarten also spoke about her personal goals and their significance when it comes to her role on the team. Specifically, she detailed how she uses self-motivation to perform at the highest level.
“I think they do [have an impact] because when I make a goal for myself and I’m aiming for a certain time during a race, I remind myself that I’m racing for my team and my coaches as well, instead of just for myself,” Lustgarten said. “This motivates me to go faster knowing that my team has my back and wants to see me succeed.”
In the field events, junior Juliette Delmotte placed eighth in the triple jump (37′ 1″), while junior Melina Panagakos placed eighth in the college high jump (4′ 11″). In the pole vault, freshman Isabella Allen finished seventh with a vault of 10′ 0″. Junior Sophia Dongaris had a fifth-place finish in the long jump, jumping 16′ 0.5″. Senior Grace O’Mara mustered a 10th-place finish in the weight throw (47′ 8″).
As for the gentlemen, in the pole vault, sophomore Jack Lynett attained a fourth-place finish. Lynett vaulted 14’19.25”. Senior Andrew Swiniarski took home fourth place with a throw of 58’0”. Classmate Aidan Tai placed eighth in the college 60-meter dash, clocking a time of 7.27.
For the Leopards, maintaining this form will be crucial as the season progresses and the schedule fills up. According to Lustgarten, staying healthy and motivating each other can help do just that.
“I think we can maintain this momentum by staying diligent and continuing to work hard, even as soreness and fatigue sets in at the end of the season,” Lustgarten said. “As long as we can continue to push ourselves while avoiding injury then we can keep performing to our highest ability.”
The Maroon and White hope to maintain their strength and stamina as they prepare for their next meet. The team will be traveling to Lewisburg, Pa. for the Bucknell Tune-Up today.
“The team has been training hard all season. We’re gearing up for our Patriot League meet coming up, so we have weeks of workouts and races under our belt already,” Lustgarten said. “The Bucknell Tune-Up is also a last chance meet to qualify for leagues, so I know a lot of people are really going to push themselves this Friday so that they can get a qualifying time. We’re also in somewhat of a taper right now to ensure that we can be as strong as possible [today] and at leagues.”
