Williams Women's Track & Field Shuts Down MIT., 208-132
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The field team proved pivotal to the Ephs’s success, with Williams women taking first through third in both the long and triple jumps, sweeping the top four places in the weight throw, and claiming four of the top five spots in the shot put.
First-year Tanasia Hoffler continued to dominate the jumps, hitting 5.11m in the long jump and 11.36m in the triple to claim first place in both events and qualify for NCAA Championships in the triple. Freshman Brooke Johnson and sophomore Kathryn Evans took second and third in the long jump, jumping 5.08m and 4.67m, respectively. Johnson and sophomore Karyn Moss garnered points in the triple, finishing second and third and jumping 11.00m and 10.96m. First-year Julie Paschal, who has already qualified for NCAAs in the high jump, won the event as she cleared 1.60m.
In the throws, sophomores Madeline Watson and Eileen Becker had standout performances, with Watson winning the weight throw with a mark of 12.65m, and Becker claiming first in the shot put as she threw 11.55m. The throwers racked up points for the Ephs as Watson, senior Julia Cohan, and freshman Jasmine Adekoya took third, fourth and fifth in the shot, while Becker, Adekoya, and Evans took second through fourth in the weight throw.
On the oval, Williams runners faced stiff competition from the Engineers, but the Ephs worked together to finish in tight packs and earn points for the team, hitting personal records and season bests along the way.
Senior Elise Johnson and sophomore Hillary Higgs stepped up in the sprints, taking first and second in the 55m dash in 7.63 and 7.65, respectively. Johnson also qualified for NCAAs as she snagged second place in the 55m hurdles, running 8.51. Higgs went on to run both the 200m and the 400m, finishing second in the 200 in 25.81 (followed by Johnson and Hoffler in 25.81 and 26.53), and winning the 400 with a time of 57.57, well within the NCAA Championship provisional qualifier and not far off of a time that would earn her automatic entry into NCAAs (the auto qualifier is 56.75).
In the 600m, the Williams women packed together to snag second through sixth places. Junior Lizzy Danhakl ran 1:41.01 in her season debut and her first ever 600. Sophomore Maya Harakawa, senior Kathie Nyholm and freshman Rebecca Fine were close behind, running 1:42.18, 1:42.53, and 1:42.95, respectively.
The 800m race showcased a similar packing strategy, with senior captain Nora Mitchell running a gutsy race to come out on top in 2:20.97. Sophomore Olivia Delia, senior Jess Clarke, junior Alysha McElroy and freshman Brooke Pfister took third through sixth in the same race, with M.I.T. runner Alicia Kaestli in second, separating Mitchell and her teammates.
First-years Annie Dear and Jennifer Gossels teamed up in both the mile and the 1000m, facing off against M.I.T. freshman Brooke Johnson in both events. In the mile, Dear took third in 5:07.89 to qualify for Division I New Englands, and Gossels was fourth in 5:14.40, a time that qualified her for ECACs. In the 1000m, Dear snagged second place in 3:06.68, with Gossels close behind in 3:08.23.
In the long distance events, the Ephs took advantage of the strong competition to garner qualifying times for upcoming championship meets, earning several points for Williams at the same time. Seniors Elly Teitsworth and Bret Scofield were both well within the ECAC qualifier for the 3000m, running 10:36.71 and 10:39.29, good for second and third place.
In the 5000m, junior Meghan Shea, sophomore Natalie Davis and sophomore Elleree Erdos took second through fourth, all qualifying for Division III New Englands in two weeks. Shea ran 18:50.06 in her first race of the season, while Davis and Erdos worked together to run a strategic race and finish with personal bests of 19:04.21 and 19:09.13, respectively.
On Friday, five Ephwomen traveled to Tufts compete in the indoor pentathlon before heading to M.I.T. on Saturday. Junior Sara Turner racked up 2,812 points in a personal best performance, good for third place. Paschal took sixth with 2,517 points, and freshman Sarah Guillot finished ninth. Hoffler and Moss had strong performances in the 60m hurdles, high jump, shot put, and long jump, but opted not to compete in the final event — the 800m — in order to perform at their peak in the M.I.T. meet.
The Ephs head back to Boston next weekend for the final meets of the regular season before championship meets. Some women will compete in the Valentine’s Invitational at Boston University on Friday, while others will return to M.I.T. for the M.I.T. Invitational.
