WINCHESTER, Va. – Coming off a long winter break, EMU's track & field athletes laced up their shoes for their first meet in over a month, competing in the Kaye & JJ Smith Invitiational at Shenandoah University on Sunday.
The Royals received significant contributions from every event group, highlighted by event wins by
Angel David in the triple jump,
Elili Asefa in the 800-meter run, and the 4x400-meter relay.
Highlights
(Team Finish: 4th/84 pts.)
- DISTANCE/MID-DISTANCE
- 800m Run: Asefa cruised to victory in the 800m with a time of 2:39.34, nearly 10 seconds ahead of second place Piper Nagaraj of McDaniel.
- Mile Run: Seniors Halie Mast and Jenna Weaver finished second and third respectively, clocking in at 5:33.29 and 5:33.84. Those performances place Mast and Weaver at fourth and fifth in the ODAC this season. Asefa and Erin Loker also fared well in the mile, placing fifth and sixth overall.
- 3000m Run: Mast completed a strong distance double with a sixth-place showing in the 3000m, completing 15 laps of the 200m indoor track in 11:15.72.
- SPRINTS
- 60m Dash: Abby Atwood led the way in this event for the Royals, coming home 10th overall in a time of 8.55.
- 200m Dash: Nia Boyd represented the Royals, crossing the line in a time of 31.80.
- 60m Hurdles: Faith Schultz made the podium by finishing third, breaking the tape in 10.30.
- JUMPS
- Triple Jump: David's winning jump of 10.51m (34'-5.75") came on her fifth of six attempts on the afternoon, beating out runner-up Zoe Shaw of District of Columbia by eight inches.
- Long Jump: Schultz and David placed second and third in the long jump, both achieving a best mark of 4.71m (15'-5.5").
- High Jump: Atwood took fourth overall in her first college high jump, clearing the bar at 1.52m (4'-11.75"). That is the second best indoor high jump by an EMU woman since 2010.
- THROWS
- Shot Put: Lily Gateman earned a mark of 7.74m (25'-4.75") on her best throw in the shot put, placing 11th.
- Weight Throw: Gatesman scored a point for the team by finishing eighth in the weight throw, with a best throw of 9.61m (31'-6.5").
- RELAYS
- The Royals capped off the day by winning the 4x400-meter relay as the team of Atwood, David, Asefa and Mast teamed up for a time of 4:36.67.
What's Next
The EMU Track & Field team will head to Roanoke College for the Finn Pincus Invitational this Friday and Saturday, Jan. 17-18. The first events on Friday begin at 3:30 p.m.
