Landover, Md. — The University of Maryland women's track and field team took home the first place team title at the Terrapin Invitational held at Prince George's Sports and Learning Complex Saturday.
Maryland scored 196 points, and Johns Hopkins and Delaware State took second and third place respectively. 29 of Maryland's points came from the 300m dash, where Destiny Ward (39.39), Cheyenne Jones (40.15), Nadia Hackett (41.12), and Venida Fagan (41.40) took home the top-four times.
Ward set a personal best in the event and is Maryland's No. five all-time 300m dash runner. Jones ran the 300 for the first time as a Terp and sped her way to Maryland's No.7 all-time 300m athlete.
Women:
Junior Nadia Hackett continued her streak of setting personal bests in the 60m hurdles Saturday when she qualified for finals in 8.62. She set her previous personal best (8.64) last week at the Nittany Lion Challenge. In finals, Hackett took home the first place title with a time of 8.68.
The Terps' distance medley relay team won the first race of the day, crossing the line in 12:06.41. Freshman Anna Coffin started for the Terps in the 1200m, passing the baton along to Mackenzie Morgan who ran a strong 400m leg. Samantha Facuis stayed on pace in the 800m and Christine Laurie powered through the 1600m (5:01 split) to cross the finish line in first place.
Freshman Chloe Royce set a new personal best in the high jump with a mark of 1.70m. She got in some work in her other multi events placing third in the long jump and fourth in the 60m hurdles.
Mikella Lefebvre-Oatis earned second place in the high jump with a season opening 1.75m jump. This was the top collegiate mark of the meet at 5'8 ¾". Alumna, Amina Smith ('14) had an impressive clearance of 1.92m (6'3.50") to stun the crowd.
Short sprints duo Jaida Smith and Bria Mack won their heats and qualified for the finals. Smith earned first place (7.69) and Mack finished close behind in 7.74 to capture second place.
The Terps' throw squad continued to build on their early season performances. For the second meet in a row Alice Barnsdale took home a top-three finish, earning first overall in the weight throw at 17.01m. Kamryn Henderson took second place with a mark of 16.34m. Freshman Sarah George threw a new personal best 15.34m in weight throw.
Sophomore Mackenzie Morgan entered Maryland's all-time list as the ninth best in the 600m dash (1:35.24). Sophomore Kirstin Walz ran the 600m for the first time with a strong finish.
In the middle distance races, Maryland's squad proved they know how to set the pace. Christine Laurie (2:18.06) and Anna Coffin (2:20.38) added a total of 14 points to the team score, finishing in second and fifth place, respectively. Paige Novak had a top-10 finish in the mile run posting a time of 5:17.97.
The distance squad carried its energy from the season onto the indoor track. Brittany Lang and Kathryn Gearhart set a quick pace in the 3000m, finishing 2nd and 4th. Lang crossed the line in 9:58.34 and Gearhart came through in 10:01.36. Anna Latzko, Caroline Augelli, Julia Reicin and Claudia Dolan all stepped on the track for the first time this season in the 3000m event.
Men:
Freshman Maxwell Myers continued the streak of placing debut collegiate race times into the Terps' all-time list. Myers pushed through the last 100m of the 600m dash in 1:22.60 and is Maryland's ninth all-time 600m runner.
Colin Rowe ran 36.07 in the 600m dash, a sixth all-time best by a Terp. Drake Murphy also competed in the 600m dash.
Caleb Dean powered through the hurdles in first place with an impressive time of 8.24. Dean entered finals as the number one seed, and stayed consistent in finals to secure the victory.
This week's Terp of the Week Joseph Ewan sprinted 6.94 in the 60m dash, taking home second place.
In the field, Kaithon McDonald competed in the long jump and Gerald Norgbe competed in the triple jump.
Chase McGeehan ran to a second place finish in the 800m in his first competition as a Terp. Rylan Flint paced himself to a 5th place finish in the 3000 (9:08.20). William Jones also competed in the 3000m.
-TERPS-
