Five members of the track and field team competed in the Penn Relays, the oldest and largest track and field meet in the United States, last Friday at the University of Pennsylvania to yield strong results. The team also ran in the Covert Classic at Lehigh University that same weekend, finishing first in multiple events.
High school and college athletes, including senior thrower Andrew Bowsher, junior mid-distance runner and sprinter Nava Chevan and sophomore sprinters Maeve Waldron, Alexa LaSasso and Elena Malone, must qualify for the Penn Relays.
Bowsher was disqualified from the hammer throws after three fouls, but he was still proud of qualifying and getting to throw at Penn Relays.
“It was a great opportunity to compete against high-level competition which does not often happen at a standard meet,” Bowsher wrote in an email. “My throws were some of the best I have had yet this season and were much better than the previous couple of weeks.”
Chevan, Waldron, LaSasso and Malone ran in the 4×400 meter relay, placing third out of 19 with a time of 3:54.36.
The Leopards’ success continued last Friday and Saturday in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, at the Covert Classic.
Junior hurdler Angel Awono placed first out of nine in the 100-meter hurdles at 14.78.
“The only thing I think about is getting out of the blocks and making sure I stick with the person next to me,” Awono wrote in an email. “It’s a little weird leaving the track while running but it’s fun, it feels like you are flying. You can tell if it will be a good race when you get that feeling.”
Awono also topped the podium with Waldron and freshmen sprinters Gabby Buber and Ida Moczerniuk in the four-team women’s 4×100 meter relay (48.30). Freshmen sprinters Alexander Caba, Harrison Rosen, Christian Wright and junior sprinter Ryan Moore placed first (42.54) in the three-team men’s 4×100 relay. Moore also won the five-team 4×400 meter relay (3:22.84) with sophomore mid-distance runners Titan Casey and Quinn Worrell and sophomore sprinter John Paul Pfisterer.
Wright was the only multi-winner from the meet against Lehigh, placing first out of 19 in the men’s 100-meter and first out of 21 in the 200-meter. Freshman distance runner Ava Severino came in first out of four competitors in the women’s 3000-meter steeplechase (11:40.95). Junior distance runner Casey MacElhiney won the 38-competitor women’s 1500-meter (4:44.54) and senior mid-distance runner Lily Dineen came in first out of 25 in the women’s 800-meter (2:18.00).
Freshman thrower Marin Rosser won the 10-competitor women’s javelin at 138’ 1”, while junior pole vaulter Julia Greeley placed second out of 18 at 11’ 9.75”.
The team will conclude its season at the Patriot League Outdoor Championships this weekend at Bucknell.
“It’s nice to take that energy into Patriot League’s weekend,” Awono wrote.
