Athletics wins 22 events at Friday Night Spikes Opener, sets 13 all-time top 10 performances

RESULTS

Terre Haute, Ind. The Washington University track and field teams in St. Louis returned to competition for the first time since December, not missing a shot at the Friday Night Spikes Series Opener in Rose-Hulman.

The Bears defeated the competition between hostess Rose-Hulman and Manchester on Friday night as both the men’s and women’s teams drove to first place.

WU won an impressive 22 combined events that night, with the women winning 13 events and the men nine.

The women’s team accumulated 130.5 points and the men’s team 95. The Bears also had 13 new top 10 all-time program marks throughout the meet.

New top 10 performances of all time

Men

Women’s top finishers

Lauren Gay put on an incredible performance on Friday, winning three events and earning two new all-time top 10 finishes in WashU history.

Gay, who is currently first in the NCAA DIII 200m, took first place with a time of 25.54, which is also the third fastest time ever in program history.

Gay also finished in first place in the 60m hurdles with a time of 8.94, marking another all-time top 10 mark.

She won her third event of the night in the 4×400 relay with teammates Ava Forman, Aoife Dunne and Emma Kelley (3:57.66), currently first in the nation in DIII.

Natalie Swinehart had a great performance in first place (7.931) in the 60m, beating out teammate Mycah Clay (7.939). Both individual times are among the top 10 all-times in program history as it marks a new career time for Clay, beating her 2020 record of 8:02.

Emma Kelley dominated the 400-meter dash with a career-best time of 58:17, which is second in the nation in DIII and now the fourth-fastest time in WashU history.

Becca Tarter placed first in the high jump (1.57m), equaling her season best from the Titan First Chance meeting in December.

In the pole vault, Yasmin Ruff won first (3.40m), setting a new career best and an all-time WashU top 10 mark.

Ebunoluwa Opata, second in DIII in the triple jump, won her second straight event on Friday with a performance of 11.41 m.

First-year Taylor Simpson won the shot put (45 ft.), marking a season best and a new all-time top 10 record in Bears program history.

Rebecca Lim took first place in the long jump (4.85m) and Zarya deSouza won the 3000m dash.

Ella Behrens was first in the mile (5:17.67) and Alessia Sarussi (2:18.52) edged out teammate Grace Bristow in the 800m.

Men’s top finisher

Senior Jacob Ridderhoff had a great run in the 3000m, finishing in a time of 8:28.84, marking a new all-time top 10 finish in program history.

Sophomore Nikos Claman was second in the 60-meter dash, but his time of 7.09 in the finals earned a new all-time top 10 finish at WashU.

WashU finished first three times in both the 200 and 400 meters as Harry Mills (22.97) and Alex Djetto both won first place (50.39).

Senior Alex Cobin was first in the mile (4:35.53) and junior Jackson Cox checked in with the best time in the 800 (1:56.74).

Matt Moore won the long jump (6.60m) while Tommaso Maiocco was first in the pole vault (4.40m).

The Bears had the top three times in the 4×400 relay, with Jack Henry Whetstone, Harry Mills, John Harry Wagner and Alex Djetto taking first place (3:26:01).

Gio Alfred again secured first place in the 60 meter hurdles (8.32). Alfred’s 8.25 mark at the Titan First Chance meeting, ranked fourth in DIII.

The Bears return to competition on January 22 at the I-55 Triangular in Bloomington, Illinois.

Comments are closed.