HARRISONBURG, Va. – The EMU Track & Field team concluded their two days as the host of the ODAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday, going up against both the other teams and the weather on a rainy day in Harrisonburg. In addition to putting on a well-run championship meet of the conference, the Royals also acquitted themselves well in competition.
The women's team wound up ninth overall as a team when all was said and done.
Elili Asefa, a senior from Lancaster, Pa., and
Erin Loker, a sophomore from Harrisonburg, both had standout days for the Royal women on Saturday.
Team Scores: 1) Washington & Lee - 258; 2) Lynchburg – 151.5 ; 3) Bridgewater – 139 ; 4) Roanoke – 83), 5) Shenandoah – 38,
9) EMU -14
Day 2 Highlights
- SPRINTS
- 400m Hurdles (Final): Asefa obtained the highest event finish of any Royal woman in the ODAC Championship meet, finishing fourth with a time of 1:11.08, bettering her time from Friday's preliminary round.
- DISTANCE/MID-DISTANCE
- 800m Run: Claire Hurst ran a new PR time of 2:41.52 to take home 21st overall.
- 1500m Run: Loker scored a couple of points for the Royals with a seventh-place finish, clocking in at 4:52.14. With that time, Loker moved up to fifth in EMU history in the 1500m. Sarah Wheeler also registered a new PR with a time of 6:11.59.
- 5000m Run: Loker entered the EMU Top 10 list for the outdoor 5k. Loker finished 10th, completing 12.5 laps of the track in 18:47.53, rising all the way up to eighth in EMU history. Kauffman finished 13th in a time of 19:06.69.
- JUMPS
- Triple Jump: Angel David took ninth place with a jump of 10.27m (33'8.5").
- THROWS
- Discus: Lily Gatesman led the way for the Royals with a new personal best mark of 29.88m (98'0"), finishing 14th.
- RELAYS
- 4x400m Relay: The team of Hurst, Asefa, CJ Jefferson and Loker worked together for a time of 4:40.06 and a ninth-place finish.
What's Next
A few EMU athletes will continue on to last chance meets in an effort to qualify for the NCAA Championships, starting with the Lee Last Chance on Friday and Saturday, May 8-9 in Cleveland, Tenn.
