The Lafayette track and field team competed in the Patriot League Championship meet last weekend, with six Leopards breaking into the top-10 all-time school record books. The men earned a fifth place finish with 45 points, while the women scored 20 points to place eighth.
“I was very proud of both teams and how they competed,” head coach Michele Curcio said. “Everyone attached to the team set the bar higher this season and I was super excited to see that. Some people really stepped it up at the PL Championship and performed well.”
Two standout performers were freshman Autumn Sands and sophomore Harrison Greenhill, who both carved out a spot in the school’s record books.
On Saturday, Greenhill broke a 13-year-old record in the shot put with a best throw that travelled 16.80 meters, earning third place and adding six points to the men’s team’s total.
“I’m looking forward to getting better, furthering my technique, and breaking more records,” Greenhill said. “I want to help my team beat Lehigh and win a Patriot League Championship.”
Also on Saturday, Sands made her outdoor Patriot League Championship debut, finishing second in the 5000-meter run in 17:13.35, the second fastest time in school history. It was only Sands’ second time running the 5k all season.
“I was really surprised,” Sands said. “My time turned out to be a 24-second [personal record] and I didn’t expect to make that much of a jump.”
On Friday, sophomore Ainsley Jacobs finished seventh in the 10,000-meter run with a time of 37:49.03, the seventh fastest time in the event in school history. Jacobs earned the Leopards two points for her performance.
On the men’s side on Saturday, sophomore Jermaine Rhoden and freshman Isaiah Moore placed third and fourth respectively in the high jump, combining for 11 points for the Leopards. Sophomore Brian Kaufmann set a personal best in the triple jump with a leap of 14.04 meters, scoring two points.
The 4×400 team of senior Thomas Strand, and freshmen Gregory Bove, Ross Kennedy, and Tim Payne qualified for the IC4A Championship meet this weekend with their fifth place finish in 3:16.84. Payne also finished fifth in the 110-meter hurdles, and sixth in the 400-meter hurdles. His time of 54.26 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles is a personal best and is the seventh fastest time in Lafayette history.
Junior Tyler Hubeny set a new personal best in the decathlon with a score of 6469, finishing fourth. Sophomore Michael Neeson earned 12th place in the 3000-meter steeplechase with a time of 9:32.72, the 10th fastest time in school history.
For the women on Saturday, senior Caroline Harmon finished fifth in the 1500-meter run in a time of 4:38.34, scoring four points. Sophomore Katherine Ullmann placed seventh in the heptathlon to add two points for Lafayette, while freshman Cassandra Wilk earned 12th place in the 3000-meter steeplechase in 11:25.41, the sixth fastest time in school history.
The 4×400 relay team of sophomore Kelsie McGlynn, freshman Jillian Warabak, junior Crosby Spiess and senior Amy Hewlett scored an additional point for the women’s team with their eighth place finish.
Both the men’s and women’s teams will be back in action this weekend at the IC4A Championship in Princeton, N.J.
