Columbia
Virginia Quad
Track & Field Earns Four Victories at UVA Quad, Places High at Mets
4/9/2016 5:29:00 PM | Track and Field
UVA Quad Results | Mets Championship Results
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The Columbia track & field teams came away with four victories at the Virginia Quad meet on Friday night, before a strong effort at the Metropolitan Championships.
Virginia Quad
The women's team was led by strong middle distance results, as Sarah Hardie and Libby Kokes each took the tape on the evening. In the 800m run, Hardie bested teammates Olivia Sadler (2nd), Brittney Wade (4th), and Devon Towell (5th), clocking a 2:08.46 for first. The run for the sophomore was the fifth best effort in school history.
Kokes was the winner in the 1500m run, crossing the line in 4:23.37 for the eighth fastest time in school history. Henna Rustami was not far behind in sixth place at 4:37.87.
Columbia was the runner up on the women's side in both the 100m hurdles and 400m run. Iris Chijioke finished second in the hurdles at 14.20, while Jaycee Parker did the same with a 56.79 in her one-lap race. The 4x100m relay team also came in second, as Aminat Iriafen, Parker, Akua Obeng-Akrofi and Ashley Cunningham circled the track in 46.75.
Corey Hammond and Alex Sauer came away with wins on the men's side. In the 400m hurdles, Hammond was close to a personal best when he crossed the line in 53.20. Sauer put together his best 800m effort as a Lion, when the first-year led the pack at 1:49.77, just ahead of third place teammate Robert Napolitano in 1:52.01.
Benjamin Ritz was a second place finisher in the 1500m run, when he went 3:52.21, just ahead of fifth place teammate Marc Violone in 3:55.27.
The men had three strong outings in the 400m run, as a trio of Lions all put up personal bests in the event. Johnathan Sowah took third in 48.54, right in front of Yelnats Calvin in fourth at 48.61, and Ronald Busby in sixth at 49.25. Those three joined Hammond in the 4x400m relay, putting up a third place effort in 3:19.77.
Metropolitan Championships - Rutgers
At the Mets Championships, both the Columbia men and women came away with sixth place team finishes.
The women doubled-up in the pole vault, as Grace Shadid and Abigail Sharkey took first and second in the event. Shadid's 3.25m (10'8") effort led the field, with Sharkey clearing 3.15m (10'4") as the runner up.
Two other women finished second in field events, as Lauren O'Connor went 36.32m (119'2") in the javelin, and Alexis Yeboah-Kodie leaped out to 11.08m (36'4.25") in the triple jump.
Robert O'Brien joined Shadid as a champion in the pole vault, as the first-year cleared 4.50m (14'9") to win the men's event. Keenan Piper also scored points for the men with a second place finish in the 1500m run at 4:06.30, while the 4x800m relay team of Alexander Freemantle, Tyler Otterstedt, Johain Ounadjela and Brian McGovern claimed fourth in 8:17.83.
Players Mentioned
