The track and field team hosted nine other teams at home this past Saturday for the Lafayette Open.
Sophomore sprinter Ida Moczerniuk won the 100-meter with a time of 11.73. Despite breaking her record-breaking time from the previous week by over a 10th of a second, the wind was too strong for the time to be counted. Junior sprinter Maeve Waldron finished in second (12.23) and enjoyed a first-place finish in the 200 meters (25.35). Senior hurdler Angel Awono captured second in the 100-meter hurdles (14.77).
The 4×100-meter relay team, consisting of freshman Lily Jenkins, Moczerniuk, sophomore Gabby Buber and Waldron moved up to fourth all-time with a time of 47.58.
In the field for the women, freshman thrower Kristin DeBolt launched her way to victory in the discus throw (142’ 2”) and placed fifth in the shot put (38’ 0.75″).
“I’ve realized that the weather and the venue are a huge component,” DeBolt said. “The wind actually works to your advantage more than I thought in discus, and now it’s a matter of learning how to use that.”
DeBolt’s impressive effort in the discus throw brought her to fifth in the all-time rankings at Lafayette. She credited much of her success to the throws group.
“The throws group is definitely very tight-knit, and I always rely on their support,” DeBolt said.
Other impressive field performances for the women include a first-place finish by senior thrower Erin O’Leary in the hammer throw, beating out the second-place competitor by over eight feet (179′ 5″).
In the long jump, freshman sprinter and jumper Leah Rudolph placed second (17’ 7.5”), with freshman jumpers Hayden Mark and Anaya Brown not far behind, placing third (16′ 11.5″) and fourth (16′ 7.75″), respectively. Sophomore thrower Marin Rosser managed second in the javelin throw (129′ 4″) and classmate pole vaulter Bridget O’Mara earned second in the pole vault (11′ 5.75″).
On the track for the men, sophomore sprinter Alexander Caba won the 200-meter (21.21) and finished second in the 100 (10.49). Junior mid-distance runner Quinn Worrell dazzled in his victory in the 1500 (4:00.54).
A 4×400 victory (3:25.06) from junior Zachary Barban, sophomore Dexter DeMarco, sophomore Ilios Millett and senior Ryan Moore capped off an impressive meet for the Leopards.
In the field for the men, sophomore thrower Niko Williams emerged victorious in the javelin (185′ 1″) while also placing fourth in the discus throw (157’ 9”). Junior pole vaulter Benjamin Hill took home the victory in the pole vault (15’ 9”).
Hill said much of his success comes from visualizing past jumps.
“I like to think back to meets, to practices where I had good jumps, and I try to replicate those at the back of the runway,” Hill said.
When Hill cleared the bar, he captured the number four spot on Lafayette’s all-time list. He is not stopping there, however, aiming to first clear 16’, and eventually five meters.
“Hopefully this weekend or the next few I can keep taking shots at those two bars,” Hill said.
Despite the strong performance, the Leopards are still hungry for more.
“We’re having a pretty strong opener to our outdoor season, so I’m excited to see where it takes us,” DeBolt said.
The teams will attempt to keep the momentum going as they host rival Lehigh University in a dual meet on Saturday.
“The team as a whole, we’re all looking forward to this weekend, really looking to get our get back at them,” Hill said.