ELON, N.C. – For the first time this indoor season, the Elon University women’s track and field team will separate for a pair of meets this week as Phoenix will compete first at the JDL Team Challenge on Thursday, Feb. 9. On Friday and Saturday, Feb. 10-11, other athletes will head to Lynchburg, Va., for the Liberty Invitational.
“These two meets this weekend are very important,” said Elon Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Mark Elliston. “We’re in a position where we have a few athletes who have already broke through to reach the qualifying standard for the (Eastern College Athletic Conference Indoor Championships), but also have several that are close and hoping that they can have a breakthrough this week.”
Follow the Phoenix
Fans can keep up with the action of the Phoenix at the meets with live results listed on the Elon women’s track and field schedule page. Other updates will be provided on the team’s social media accounts on Twitter and Instagram at the handle, @eu_xctf.
Elon Prelims
• The Phoenix will be competing at some already familiar venues for its meets this week. Thursday’s meet will be the fourth time that Elon will have competed inside the JDL Fast Track facility this season while also traveling to Liberty for a second time.
• Senior Kimberly Johansen broke her own school-record in the indoor one-mile last Saturday, Feb. 4, at the Camel City Elite Invitational. In a race featuring some of the top athletes in the country on both the professional and collegiate level, the Chelmsford, England, native, clocked a time of 4:45.34 and was eighth overall – the second-fastest collegiate runner in the race.
• Junior Bryanna Hames improved her personal-best in the indoor shot put last Saturday at the Camel City Invitational. The Charlotte, N.C., native had a toss of 47’ 6.50” (14.49m) in the event and was the runner-up overall.
• Senior Briana O’Grady also extended her personal-record last Friday, Feb. 3, in the weight throw. The South Kingstown, R.I., native had a heave of 52’ 4.50” (15.96m) and was seventh overall. O’Grady’s mark was .01m shy of tying for the second-best performance in school history.
• Elon will look to have more athletes qualify for the Easter College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Indoor Championships this week. So far, only three Phoenix athletes have qualified for the ECACs in individual events with Johansen (1,000-meters, one-mile), Hames (shot put) and Bre’anna Warren (shot put). Elon’s distance medley relay team has also qualified for the ECACs.
Last Time Out
Elon competed in its fifth meet of the year last Friday and Saturday at the Camel City Invitational at the JDL Fast Track Complex. On the first day, senior Carrie Abraham had a top-10 standing in the long jump after finishing with a leap of 17′ 5.50″ (5.32m). Junior Emily Dixon was tied for second in the unseeded high jump with a cleared height of 5′ 1.25″ (1.56m), her best mark of the season.
In the 800-meters, Chelsea Smith ran a time of 2:16.38 in the race as the Phoenix’s top finisher in the event at 13th. Desiree Ross clocked a 58.63 in the 400-meters and was 12th while Katie Arbogast was 14th with her time of 58.68.
On the second and final day, Warren was third overall in the shot put with her throw of 45’ 3” (13.79m). Elon took the eighth, ninth and 10th positions in the triple jump. Abraham was Elon’s top finisher with a leap of 36′ 6.25″ (11.13m) in eighth while rookie Melody Burke was ninth at 36′ 4″ (11.07m). Senior Jayna Coyle rounded out the top-10 with her mark of 35′ 11.50″ (10.96m).
Dixon ran a 9.09 in the semifinal round of the 60-meter hurdles, finishing 13th overall to round out the day for the Phoenix.
On Deck
The Phoenix returns again to Virginia Tech for the Virginia Tech Invitational next Friday, Feb. 17, at the Rector Fieldhouse.