Elon Track and Field Set for ECAC Indoor Championships

ELON, N.C. – The Elon University women’s track and field team will conclude a successful indoor season this week as the Phoenix travels to Boston for the Eastern College Athletic Conference Indoor Championships (ECAC). Ten Phoenix athletes are scheduled to be in competition at the meet, which kicks off on Friday, March 6, inside the Boston University Track and Field Pavilion.

Live Coverage
Live results of the meet will be posted on lancertiming.com throughout the three days of competition. Results will also be posted at ecacsports.com as well as on Twitter on the accounts @elonscores or the program’s handle, @eu_xctf.

Elon Joins ECAC For Women’s Indoor Track
The Phoenix joined the ECAC as a full member for women’s indoor track and field last fall. Elon, who joined the Colonial Athletic Association last summer, will compete exclusively in women’s indoor track and field, which the CAA does not currently sponsor.

The ECAC is comprised of over 300 institutions that compete at the Division I, II and III levels. The Phoenix will compete in the CAA for women’s outdoor track and field.

In Competition at The ECAC Indoor Championships
Elon will send ten of its athletes to the ECAC Indoor Championship meet based off their successful indoor regular-season campaigns. Among the athletes scheduled to be in competition this week are Elyse Bierut (3,000 and 5,000-meters), Shelby Cuddeback (one-mile), Jen Esposito (400-meters), Sydney Griffin (60-meter hurdles), Bryanna Hames (shot put), Kimberly Johansen (one-mile, 800 and 1,000-meters), Megan Kirschling (high jump), Tereza Novotna (one-mile) and Bre’anna Warren (shot put).

The Phoenix had also qualified another athlete for the ECACs in freshman Emily Dixon in the pentathlon.

Last Time Out
The Phoenix last competed at the Virginia Tech Challenge on Feb. 20-21, inside the Rector Fieldhouse. Elon had a few of its competitors have standout performances at the meet including a few personal-bests and school records.

Johansen broke her own school-record in the one-mile race, winning the event with a time of 4:49.88 – six seconds faster than her previous personal-best. Equally impressive was fellow sophomore Cuddeback’s performance as the Attleboro, Mass., native had a 23-second improvement from her previous personal-record with a time of 4:55.25, the second-fastest time in school history. The performance qualified Cuddeback for the ECACs.

Novotna ran the second-fastest time in school history in the 3,000-meters finishing with a time of 9:39.54 winning the race. In the 400-meters, Esposito established a new personal-best time after clocking a 56.00 and was the runner up.

On Deck
The Phoenix will have a quick turn around as the maroon and gold opens its outdoor campaign on March 13-14 at the Coastal Carolina Invitational.