WORCESTER, Mass. – The Navy women's track & field team ended Friday's first day of the Patriot League Outdoor Championship in third place at the Hart Track in Worcester, Mass. The Mids totaled 41 team points to trail first-place Boston (59 points) and second-place Army (49) after six of the 22 events.
"I think we did a solid job today with the number of athletes we have qualified for finals. That's what today is all about, getting those qualifying spots. There were some big and clutch performances today. All in all, it was a good first day," remarked Director of Track and Field
Jamie Cook.
The first day was highlighted by
Gracie Emerick's record-setting performance in the pole vault where she won the event with a school and meet record of 4.07m (13' 4.25").
"Gracie was unbelievable. She is always consistent and cranks it up a notch when it matters most," said Cook.
May McConkey finished in fourth place in the 10,000m with a time of 37:25.71 to begin the track events.
Three Midshipmen –
Sophie Compton,
Alex Wercinski and
Kate Leddy – qualified for the 1,500m finals. Compton led the way with a 4:28.06 to finish in third place.
Alex Wercinski clocked in at 4:31.31 for a sixth-place finish and
Kate Leddy ran a 4:32.74 to place 11th.
Jia Anderson qualified for the 100m hurdles final with the second-best time in the event of 13.90. Joining Anderson in the finals is
Annie Lemelin, who ran a 14.07 to finish in fifth place.
Anderson (11.85) will also run for gold in the 100m final after her fourth-place performance in the semifinals.
Sophia Richter (11.87) will compete for the title after her sixth-place run. Savanah Swanda (12.17) claimed the last qualifying spot in the finals as she finished in eighth place.
Taylor Woodworth paced Navy in the 400m semifinals with a third-place finish in 54.89. Senior team captain
Kylie Bedard joins Woodworth in the finals after she placed fourth with a time of 54.98.
Sophia Richter ran a career-best 200m time of 24.32 to finish in third place in the semifinals. Anderson ran a season-best time of 24.51 to finish in sixth. Woodworth claimed the final qualifying spot as she clocked a 24.70 to finish in eighth place.
The 4x800m relay team of
Julia Blake,
Katelyn Pepin,
Lexi Ensor and
Mia-Claire Kezal ran the eighth-fastest time in school history of 8:55.60 to finish in fourth place and miss medaling by one spot.
Renny Murphy reached the podium in the javelin for the third-straight season. She recorded a third-place mark of 44.98m (147' 7") on her second throw of the day.
Jordynn Hutchinson led the Mids in the hammer throw with a fourth-place mark of 51.58m (169' 3").
Sami Bollinger finished fourth in the long jump with a leap of 5.92m (19' 5.25").
Aurora Cieslukowski competed in her first outdoor league championship in the pole vault where she finished in sixth place with a mark of 3.72m (12' 2.5").
Isabella Romasko leads the Mids and stands fifth overall in the heptathlon with 2,780 points.
Saturday's final day of competition will start at 8 a.m., with ESPN+ coverage beginning at 11 a.m.
Day One Team Scores (through six of 22 events)
1. Boston: 59
2. Army: 49
3. Navy: 41
4. Bucknell: 37
5. Lehigh: 21
6. Holy Cross: 16
7. Lafayette: 7
8. Colgate: 2
9. Loyola: 2
10. American: 0
