The UR women?s indoor track team had a big challenge to face last Saturday. Could they come off of a six-week break from competitive competition and continue with the impressive record they held before the long winter vacation?
They answered that question in a dominating fashion. UR hosted Alfred State University and the Rochester Institute of Technology for the first team-scoring meet of the 2000-01 indoor track season.
After an impressive team effort, the girls walked away with a total of 199 points compared to RIT?s 91 and Alfred State?s 23. Individually, the Yel-lowjackets had many first place finishes.
On the track
Freshman Mary LeBrun started off the meet by beating the competition in the 3000-meter run. LeBrun finished the race in 11 minutes, one second.
?The different competition is a lot tougher than high school, I?m just trying to set some standards for myself,? LeBrun said about Saturday?s race and her season so far.
Junior Kadie Simon finished behind LeBrun, giving UR their first back-to-back winners this season by finishing with a time of 11:28.
In mid-distance action, freshman Erika Wasser-stein had an impressive day in the 800-meter and 1500-meter runs as well as in a leg on the second-place distance medley team. She finished second in both of those events with times of 2:35 and 5:05 respectively.
The Yellowjacket women also controlled the sprinting events on their home track. Sophomore Lizzy Conway had a tremendous all-around day on the track.She walked away with three victories and one second-place finish.
Conway won the 55- meter high hurdle event, the 200-meter dash and was part of the winning 4×200 meter relay. Her only second-place finish of the day came in the 55 meter dash event, in which she was edged out by RIT?s Molly Urquhart, who ran a 7.77 seconds.
The UR 4×400 team sprinted its way to victory by beating RIT and running a time of 4:49.33.
In the field
In the jumping events, the women showed no mercy. UR had a big day in triple jump event ? sweeping the first four spots. Freshman Katrina Nowak, sophomore Amanda Baran, freshman Michelle Gab-rielle and sophomore Aman-da Schwartzkopf took care of the competition by jumping 9.66 meters, 9.55 meters, 9.51 meters and 9.24 meters respectively.
Baran also earned a second place finish in the long jump with 4.92 meters.
At the high jump pit, sophomore Kimberly Pu-laski represented UR by getting second place with a jump of 1.27 meters.
The women?s pole vault crew finished in first and second place. Sophomore Erin Bank and junior Robin Metcalf vaulted to a tie by jumping 2.28 meters.
The Yellowjacket throwing team also had a great meet. Junior Megan Sullivan scored a personal record and a first-place finish in the shot-put and weight throw. In the shot put, she threw 10.21 meters and earned a victory in the weight throw by throwing a distance of 12.75 meters. Senior Ashley Harvey finished right behind Sullivan with a throw of 10.86 meters.
?Overall our depth overwhelmed the competition, RIT and Alfred State have quality teams but [they] could not compete with our depth,? Coach Barbara Hartwig. Next week the team will face its rivals at St. Lawrence.
?It?s a long trip, but their fast track will definitely make up for it,? Hartwig added.
