The women's track and field team began their outdoor season against 25 other schools at the University of South Florida Invitational this past weekend. Despite competing with a limited squad, the results are a good preview of what to expect in the upcoming outdoor season.
The throwers came out in force as Laura Dudek '07 won the javelin with a 141 feet, 1 inch throw. Co-captain Jill Lynch '05 took seventh in the shot put at 44-10 1/4, and Sarah Groothuis '08 and Jennifer Donahue '05 placed fourth in the discus and hammer throw competitions, respectively.
"Sarah really performed well in her first collegiate meet with a six-foot personal best in the discus," said Throws Coach Michelle Eisenreich. "The top two were post-collegiate competitors, so she was second among her peers." The throw put her third all-time for Brown."
Throwing and jumping performances were especially impressive considering the 45 mph winds that swirled around the track during the weekend. Rothenberg said the winds posed a challenge to her athletes, who were given a "reminder of the new dimensions that you must face outdoors," after the indoor season.
Standout triple jumper Brittany Grovey '06 placed second at the meet and qualified for NCAA Regionals in her event. Her jump of 44-10 1/4 matched her season best from last year's Heptagonals.
Naja Ferjan's '07 time of 4:33.21 earned her second place in the seeded section of the 1500-meter race and marked her fastest performance in the event by four seconds.
"I thought I was going to die after the race. I couldn't even do my cool-down," Ferjan said. "I sat down for ten minutes and then walked a little. I think that I was tired because of the strong winds."
Ferjan, however, recovered just in time to complete her leg of the 4x400m relay.
"After I ran the 4x400 I felt like I was going to die again. I have felt that way only two times in my life. The first time was my first cross country race and the second time was on Saturday."
Racing in the unseeded section of the 1,500 were Michol Monaghan'07, Anna Willard '06 and Kelly Powell '06. Monaghan's second-place finish in 4:45.8 was a personal record.
"I felt relaxed and controlled at the beginning and my goal was to set a PR," she said.
Distance Coach Rick Wemple was pleased with the results.
"All four of them did a good job getting out there and being aggressive," he said. "Anna led 1000 meters of her race, so I did not expect her to run her best, I just expected her to get out there and compete well. If they run aggressively, their times will come down."
In the 400-meter hurdles, Emily Lewis-LaMonica '06 returned from an injury that took her out of indoor competition, posting a time of 1:04.26.
"I was nervous the full 24 hours leading up to the meet," she said. "It had been so long but it felt great to get back out there."
With several personal bests and a NCAA Regional qualifying performance, the meet was a successful start to the Bears' outdoor season. Wemple believes the team is ready for next week's University of Connecticut Invitational, where almost the entire team will compete.
"We will be using the upcoming meet as a tune-up to get ready for the home meet on April 16," Wemple said.
