Posted: Apr 22, 2023
GEORGETOWN, Texas - Behind five individual wins and 13 all-conference performances, the Trinity University Tigers hold the lead after the first day of the 2023 SCAC Women's Track and Field Championship. Official Website | Results | Photo Gallery
DAY ONE STANDINGS
1. Trinity - 136
2. Colorado College - 97
3. Southwestern - 55
4. Texas Lutheran - 54
5. St. Thomas - 40
6. Centenary - 1
7. Schreiner - 1
8. Dallas - 0
HOW IT HAPPENED
- For the second consecutive year, Colorado College's Elliot Singer (watch post race interview) took top honors in the 10,000 meters, leading a pack of four CC runners that took first through fourth place in the first women's event of the meet. The second-year runner crossed in a time of 39:13.10, becoming the fourth woman in SCAC history to repeat as champion in conference meet history. With the victory, Singer is the first woman in SCAC history to win the cross country individual title in the fall and the 10,000 meters at the spring outdoor championships in the same academic year in back-to-back seasons. CC teammates Charlotte Furman and Dafna Williams, both seniors, finished second and third, respectively, with times of 39:26.44 and 39:39.58.
- Trinity junior Ellie Catron (watch post race interview) picked up her second career victory in the 3,000 meter steeplechase at the SCAC championships, earning gold this year in a time of 11:34.44. A runner-up last year after having crossed first as a freshman in 2021, Catron is the sixth woman to earn multiple honors in the event. Colorado College runners finished second and third as junior Julia Solano finished in a time of 12:08.46 and her teammate first-year Liz White was third in 12:25.91.
- In field event action, sophomore Joy Areola of Trinity (watch post race interview) took first place in the long jump with a leap of 5.35 meters (17' 6 3/4"). She was runner-up in the event last year. Her teammate, sophomore Maddy Wietstruck, finished in second with a jump of 5.31 meters (17' 5"), and first-year Clara Lippert of Colorado College lept 5.19 meters (17' 1/4") on her final attempt to take third place.
- Trinity senior Kierra Francois (watch post race interview) won gold in the hammer throw with the fourth-longest toss in SCAC championship meet history. She took top honors when her second attempt landed at 50.85 meters (166' 10"). Francois, who was runner-up in the event in both 2021 and 2022, is just the second Trinity athlete to earn gold in the event following Anecia Richardson from 2013. Senior Riley Barlage of Southwestern finished second with a toss of 42.16 meters (138' 4") and Texas Lutheran first-year Kenna Kubenka was third with her 42.14 meter (138' 3") effort.
- In the pole vault, Trinity sophomore Maddy Wietstruck earned her second medal of the championship - this time taking gold in the pole vault by clearing 3.33 meters (10' 11"). The victory marked the seventh time in the last eight SCAC championship meets a Trinity student-athlete has earned top honors in the event. Senior Bailey Dueitt of Trinity and first-year Ashlynn Recknagel of Texas Lutheran both cleared 3.18 meters (10' 5 1/4") with the same number of misses to share the second-place podium position. For Dueitt, it is the second consecutive year she has finished as runner-up in the event.
- Kierra Francois of Trinity (watch post race interview) became the first double-winner of Day One, adding a gold in the javelin to her earlier win in the hammer. The senior earned top honors with a javelin toss of 36.46 meters (119' 7"), becoming just the second athlete in SCAC history to win the hammer and javelin at the same championship meet and following Meredith Berger of Texas Lutheran in 2016. A pair of Southwestern throwers finished second and third as junior Taylor Hubbard earned runner-up honors for the second consecutive year with a toss of 35.35 meters (116' 0") and first-year Sydney Braun followed with a throw of 34.17 meters (112' 1").
- In the first race of the afternoon session, the University of St. Thomas defended its 4x100 title, as the quartet of Ebonee Nation, Kaela Sawyers, Trinity Provost and Ny'Cierra Hinton broke the tape in 48.44 seconds (watch post race interview), narrowly defeating Texas Lutheran, who was second with a time of 48.51. The winning margin of .07 seconds represented the closest 4x100 race on the women's side since DePauw defeated Rhodes by .05 seconds at the 2009 championships. Trinity's 4x1 squad finished third at this year's meet, crossing the line in 48.81.
- Colorado College became just the second school and first since Rhodes College in 2003 to sweep the podium in the 800 meter run as first-year Ella Fullerton (2:20.54), sophomore Isabel Olson (2:21.35) and first-year Maddie Shove (2:21.45) took gold, silver and bronze, respectively. With the victory, Fullerton (watch post race interview) becomes just the second CC runner and first since Stefani Messick (2016) to win the event.
- In the 400 meter hurdles, Southwestern sophomore Arden Neff (watch post race interview) earned her second consecutive title in the event, hitting the tape first in a time of 1:05.36. She is the eighth woman in league history to earn back-to-back championship meet wins in the 400 meter hurdles and the first since Trinity's Abigail Schneebeck won three consecutive titles from 2017 to 2019. Junior Emma Fowkes of Colorado College was second with a time of 1:06.85 and senior Avery Puig of Trinity was third in 1:07.83.
- In the final women's event of Day One, sophomore Kaela Sawyers of St. Thomas (watch post race interview) outstretched her teammate first-year Trinity Provost at the line to take top honors in the 200 meters with a winning time of 25.61 compared to 25.89 for Provost. It was the first 1-2 finish for athletes from the same institution in the 200 since Trinity's Nkolika Nweke and Bailey Drury pulled off the feat in 2016. Trinity junior Danya Selber took bronze with a 25.92 finish.
UP NEXT
- Competition resumes tomorrow with the men's 5000-meter final at 8:00 a.m., followed by the women's event at 8:30 a.m. A complete schedule of events can be found here.
