Throwers propel women to fourth at St. Lawrence

The women’s track and field team hit the road for the first time last weekend when they went to St. Lawrence University to compete in the Saints Indoor Classic on Saturday.Because of numerous injuries and illnesses currently hampering the team, only about two-thirds of the women attended the meet. Despite the limited roster, the women were still quite successful, finishing fourth out of seven teams, and more importantly, placing the focus on individual performances. “For the most part, we accomplished what we set out to do,” Head Coach Barbara Hartwig said.Unlike the previous week, when the women scored points in every event in which someone on the team competed, this time the first points of the day didn’t come for the women until the 500-meter dash. Sophomore Kate Pohlman completed the race in 1:24.60 to finish third overall and score six points for the women. “Kate continues to do well. She’s had one good competition after another, and ran a very good 500,” Hartwig said. The scoring continued in the 1,000-meter run, when senior Elizabeth Canfield added a point with an eighth place finish. Senior Erika Wasserstein finished among a slew of St. Lawrence runners in the 3,000-meter run, placing second overall with a time of 10:55.79. “After running a very hotly contested 3,000, Erika came back with about 15 minutes of rest to be a part of the 4 x 800-meter relay team. It goes to show how much she cares and is willing to help the team. It’s a good example for the other members of the team,” Hartwig said. Wasserstein teamed up with freshman Charlotte Reardon, Pohlman and Canfield to finish third in the 4 x 800-meter relay, good for six points. Some of the top performances of the day came in the field events, which saw a number of first through sixth place finishes. In the shot put, Junior Grace Kraay, sophomore Cynthia Gurecki and freshman Maraea Toomalatai placed fourth, fifth and sixth respectively, combining for seven points. To go along with her fifth place finish in the shot put, Cynthia Gurecki posted a second place result in the weight throw, losing only to junior Anne Baker, whose throw of 13.50 meters dominated the competition and gave the women one of two first place finishes on the day. “I would highlight the throwers [as the strongest part of the team so far this season]. I think they did a tremendous job individually and as a group,” she said. “We had a lot of personal bests on Saturday. I knew that they would be strong. They’re a really hard working group. There are a lot of people and sometimes it’s difficult getting them all together, but I’m really pleased with the outcomes so far. I think the other event-groups will eventually catch up, but the throwers were definitely the stars on Saturday,” Hartwig added.The other field competitors did not disappoint either, as there were several more top performers. Sophomore Laura Porterfield placed second in the triple jump, adding eight points to the UR total. In the final event of the day involving the UR women, junior Anna Barbi placed first in the high jump, marking 1.53 meters. “She’s coming back from an injury, but she’ll be where she needs to be by the time the pentathlon rolls around,” Hartwig said. This weekend the team returns to St. Lawrence, where they will see a number of new faces. “We’re looking forward to competing against a different group of teams. We’re going to put a little more emphasis on the team, without losing sight of the individual goals. We will have almost everyone able to go this weekend,” Hartwig said.Swidler can be reached at dswidler@campustimes.org.