The track and field team split up last weekend to compete at separate meets. One group traveled to the Dr. Sander Scorcher in New York while the rest of the squad competed at the Gulden Invitational at Bucknell University.
Senior Elena Malone led the way for the women at the New York meet, placing fourth in the 800-meter (2:17.42). Junior John Liedtka recorded an 11th-place showing in the men’s invitational 60-meter hurdles, just 0.08 seconds shy of his personal best (8.31).
In the seeded men’s 400-meter, seniors Roman Conca (50.18) and J.P. Pfisterer (50.23) ran closely together for 17th and 19th-place finishes, respectively. Senior Quinn Worrell placed 11th in the men’s invitational 800-meter (1:52.49), a mark that currently ranks among the top 100 times in Division I.
Freshmen Zoe Cimo, Katelynn Barthold, Faye Carnemolla and Braelyn Graham competed in the women’s distance medley relay, earning fifth place (12:09.03).
At the Gulden Invitational, junior Alex Caba captured the men’s 400-meter title (49.56), a performance that moved him to seventh on Lafayette College’s all-time list.
“Being recognized on that all-time list alongside so many great athletes is a blessing,” Caba said. “My coaches and teammates have been a big part of my progress as a sprinter, and we’ve put in a lot of work during the offseason, so I have them to thank.”
Freshman Justice Larkin placed fifth in the men’s 60-meter hurdles (8.59), tying him for tenth all-time in program history. Sophomore Kaseme Leckie earned fifth place in the men’s 60-meter (6.94), which ranks fourth all-time. Freshman Tegan Kovacs claimed second in the 800-meter (1:58.26). Freshman Hunter Parsons finished third in the 1,000-meter (2:32.74), while freshman Baker Pott followed in eighth (2:35.43).
For the women, sophomore Jamie Gorman placed seventh in the 800-meter (2:23.71), while senior Liz Borah also placed seventh in the mile (5:12.03). Sophomore Alivia Bear also took seventh in the 3,000-meter (10:41.90).
“My race in particular had a large field, which created a great atmosphere with plenty of people to race against,” Bear said. “I was really happy with my race, and it was just a good level of competition to be around.”
The Leopards also saw solid results in the field events. Freshman Kennedy Miller earned third in the shot put (41’ 1”), while freshman Ava Reese placed 10th (38’ 7”). On the men’s side, junior Ivan Tejada recorded a sixth-place finish in the shot put (51’ 1.75”). Freshman Sophie Agner placed seventh in the high jump (5’ 1”), and senior Ben Hill earned fourth in the pole vault (14’ 11.25”).
“This meet had a lot of good competition across the board, which set a lot of people up for success,” said Bear.
At Bucknell, the men placed seventh out of 11 teams, while the women placed ninth out of 12 teams.
The team will return to action on Saturday for a dual meet hosted by rival Lehigh University.
“The momentum heading into this meet is incredible,” Caba said. “The energy here is always unlike anything else. We’re all locked in on our craft and pushing to beat Lehigh.”