NEW YORK, N.Y. – The Bryn Mawr Track and Field program opened their season Saturday evening at the TCNJ Indoor Opener. Five Owls qualified for Conference Champs for their respective events while 13 Owls went home with Personal Records (PR's) in at least one event.
Bryn Mawr had a strong start from the first event of the meet, the 60 meters dash. Kayla Camille (8.68) and Madeline Yao (8.72) both qualified for champs and Yao also grabbed a PR. Sophomore Colby Rossmassler also had a strong race to finish with a time of 9.64. Both Rachel Dopico (11.11) and Juliana Vair (11.18) earned a PR.
Yao also had a breakout performance in the 300 meter as she took a heat win with Camille in tow. Both runners earned a PR with a time of 47.25 and 49.33 respectively. Yao finished the trifecta with a PR in the 400 meter and qualified in her second event (1:06.19).
Eliza Lehman shined in the 5k, finishing fifth in the event to qualify for Conference Champs. The lone Owl braved the 25-lap race, on her own for most of the race. After a fast start, Lehman settled into a good rhythm and was on track for her gameplan at 3k. She slightly faltered in the fourth kilometer, dropping a little time off pace, but slammed home her final five laps for a PR (20:28.63).
The 1k saw a slew of PRs as it was the first time in the event for many Owls. Sofie Prieto finished second (3:28.00) and was immediately followed by Lauren Kitay (3:30.87). Sohini Sarkar (3:42.56), Delaney Cairns (3:44.96), and Alex Rosen (4:00.23) were the next of the Owls to cross the finish line.
Bryn Mawr took the one mile as an opportunity to shake off the rust and get some marks on the board, mainly a few PRs. Malin Just was the first Owl to finish the event with a time of 5:45.18. She was followed by Sofi Guven (5:52) who notched a PR, Lukabed Bati (5:53.56), and Evelyn Cheng (5:53.63). Marien Richardson and Ella Heipt finished off the event for Bryn Mawr.
Over in the field events, veteran Margaret Hardigg qualified for champs in her signature event, the High Jump. Hardigg reached a height of 1.47 meters to place eighth. New-comer Jess Johnson hit qualifying marks in both Long Jump (4.94 meters) and Triple Jump (9.89 meters) and grabbed college PRs in both events.
Nora Steil debuted in Indoor Shotput with a mark of 8.00 meters and a grabbed a PR.
"This was a great opportunity to get our power athletes on the board and knock off a couple qualifying marks right away," Coach Hewitt said. "Our distance squad has transitioned to the track well and we're off to a good start there too. I can't say the team is going to be completely happy with the performances today, but we're in a good position for Dec. 3rd and I think we learned a lot about what we need to work on."
A quartet of distance runners wrapped up the day with a classic distance 4x400 meter relay. This included Guven, Prieto, Bati, and Sarkar who finished with a time of 4:56.18 and reached a season best.
"The team was supported today by members of the Cannon, Kellen, and Yao families, as well as friends of Bryn Mawr T&F. Many thanks to those who were able to meet up with us at the Armory and the many more who supported us from afar." – Coach Hewitt
The Owls will return next Friday to compete in the Bow-Tie Classica at Ursinus College.
