At the William & Mary Colonial Relays in Williamsburg, Virginia on Friday and Saturday, UR Track & Field had a strong showing from both the men’s and women’s teams, though Friday’s action was delayed at times by rain, and some events were moved back a day.
The women’s team set numerous personal bests and broke a school record.
Senior Samantha Kitchen set that record in 5K on Friday with 17:01.03, the third-best time in Division III for the event this year. Grad student Catherine Knox finished just behind at 17:09.12, setting a personal best and earning the sixth-best time in Division III on the year.
Senior Anne Peterson earned the year’s third-best time on the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a 10:59.24, a personal best and also the second-fastest time in UR history. Sophomore Kylee Bartlett finished 10th in the 100-meter hurdles with a 15-second mark. Senior Laura Lockard ran a 1:00.07 in the 400-meter, finishing second in her heat, while sophomore Alice Freese ran a 2:32.09 in the 800 and freshman Julia Myers ran a 4:56.78 in the 1,500.
On Saturday, after some relays were moved back due to weather, the team of Lockard, Bartlett, senior Brittany Schutrum, and freshman Brenna James ran a 1:46.16 in the 4×200 relay, finishing first among Division III teams and 26th overall. The 4×1,500 team of Kitchen, Peterson, Knox, and junior Brianna Loughran ran a 19:59.39, finishing third in its heat.
Earlier, James, Lockard, Schutrum, and sophomore Siobhan Seigne ran a 50.87 in the 4×100. Seigne was also a member of the 4×800 relay alongside freshmen Julia Myers and Jordan Hurlbut and sophomore Rachel Bargabos, which posted a time of 10:08.86.
Multiple men’s team members also set personal bests.
On Friday, in the 100-meter dash, sophomore C.J. Ruff posted a personal best of 11.43 seconds. Junior Wesley Clayton ran a 1:56.40 in the 800, and senior R.J. Morrow posted a 17.87 in the 110-meter high hurdles.
Senior Brant Crouse managed a 16th place finish with a 49.56 in the 400-meter, with 14 of the runners ahead of him hailing from Division I schools. In distance, Senior Dan Nolte ran a personal best 15:12.76 in the 5K, and junior Adam Sorrentino finished 10th in the hammer throw with a distance of 40.66 meters.
On Saturday, in the triple jump, freshman Mark Westman cleared 13.17 meters, setting a personal best and finishing 13th overall. He was also a member of the 4×200 meter relay team, along with Ruff, freshman Frederico Hama, and junior Sean Corcoran, which ran a time of 1:32.42.
In the 4×400 relay, Westman teamed up with Crouse, junior Wes Clayton, and senior Nate Kuhrt for a time of 3:22.97. In the 4×1,500-meter, freshman Ivan Frantz, sophomore Benjamin Martell, senior Chris Cook, and senior Eric Franklin ran a 16:52.52.
The teams will be back in action on April 8 at the Nazareth College Roc City Classic.
