BRIDGEWATER, Va. – The EMU Track & Field team stayed close to home for the second weekend of the outdoor season, traveling to nearby Bridgewater College for the annual Doc Jopson Invitational. The meet brought in competition from 11 different schools, including ODAC rivals Shenandoah, Virginia Wesleyan, Washington & Lee, and the host school Bridgewater.
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For the women's team, athletes for the distance, jumps, and throws groups all turned in noteworthy performances.
Erin Loker, a sophomore from Harrisonburg, provided the highlight of the meet for the Royals with a win in the 5000-meter run.
Highlights
- DISTANCE/MID-DISTANCE
- 800m: Elili Asefa completed two laps of the track in 2:28.30 to finish fifth overall. Peyton Lacombe and Claire Hurst turned in personal record times of 2:44.10 and 2:47.54 to place 10th and 12th, respectively.
- 1500m: Loker finished fourth in a time of 5:03.38, while Lacombe completed a double PR meet by clocking in at 5:42.45.
- 5000m: Loker was victorious with a personal best time of 19:32.84, cruising to the win by 1:46 over Arial Crawford of Shenandoah.
- 3000m Steeplechase: Asefa took home third place, crossing the finish line in 12:35.06.
- JUMPS
- Long Jump:Â Faith Schultz registered a fifth-place finish with a mark of 4.71m (15'5.5").
- Triple Jump: Angel David placed sixth overall, landing in the sand pit at 9.69m (31'9.5") on her best jump of the day.
- THROWS
- Discus:Â Lily Gatesman got a new PR with a distance of 29.18m, finishing eighth. Emma Greer wound up 11th with a mark of 28.28m (92'9").
- Hammer:Â Greer threw 36.03m (118'2") to set a new personal record and move up to fourth on the EMU all-time list for the hammer. Behind her, Addison Shanholtz made her outdoor season with a throw of 34.97m (114'9"), good for sixth in EMU history. Gatesman rounded out the EMU lineup in the hammer with a mark of 31.04m (101'10").
- Shot Put: Greer got a mark of 9.10m (29'10.25"), followed closely by Shanholtz at 9.09m (29'10").
- Javelin: Gatesman placed 11th with a throw of 20.81m (68'3").
What's Next
The EMU Track & Field team will head out of state next week for the VertKlasse Meeting on Thursday and Friday, April 2-3 in High Point, N.C. The first events on Thursday will commence at 10 a.m.
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