This past weekend, the men’s and women’s track and field teams traveled to Grand Rapids, Michigan to compete against 17 other schools at the Grand Valley State Invite. The women placed sixth of 18 teams, and the men finished seventh. Second-year Laura Darcey captured the only event title and led the way for the Maroons with a first-place finish in the high jump.
Though it was a challenging weekend for the Maroons, both the men’s and women’s teams performed well, with 12 and 11 top-eight finishes, respectively. Top-eight finishes for the men included, among others, Joe Previdi in the 600-meter, Andy Kates and Jake Gosselin in the 5000-meter, Alex Scott in the shot put, and Obi Wamuo, Elliott Paintsil, Ben Chaimberg, and Tyson Miller in the 4×400 relay. Top-eight finishes for the women included Mary Martin in the long jump, Grace Penders in the triple jump, Isabel Garon in pole vault, and Emma Koether, Alisha Harris, Mary Martin, and Nicole VacaGuzman in the 4×400 relay.
“I think that the team is rather pleased with their performance this week,” Darcey said. “We held our own against some DI and DII teams and even managed to place pretty highly in some events.”
Darcey herself performed exceptionally well this past weekend, matching her career-best indoor high jump height of 1.62 meters.
“I’ve been really happy with how I’ve been jumping so far this season and I’m proud that I managed to maintain my form in the meet this weekend,” Darcey said.
Moving forward, the team is looking to buckle down for the long season ahead and continue their success. Supporting each other on the track and on the field is a priority for the team, especially with the upcoming meets ahead.
“I think that our team would benefit from getting out and supporting each other,” Darcey said. “At a track meet, it is very easy to finish your event, and sit down by the finish line and watch the runners go past. I think it’s really important to move around and support everyone, no matter the event.”
This upcoming weekend will be an exciting one for the Maroons, as the team is hosting a meet.
“We have a really long season and I think the main challenge for the team is going to be keeping the momentum going. I think that having the meet at home this weekend and having our friends out to support us will give us the extra boost in morale to strive for some personal records,” Darcey said.
This weekend the Maroons will host the Windy City Invitational Indoor meet. The two-day meet will take place at Henry Crown Fieldhouse at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, February 2, and 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, February 3.
