STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – The Bryn Mawr indoor track and field program took the rode on Friday to compete in the seventh edition of the Spartan Invitational hosted by St. Thomas Aquinas College at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex. The invitational saw over 500 Division I, II, and III athletes compete in the events. Throughout the day, nine Owls reached a Personal Record (PR), five of which were met by the 3k group.

Heading Bryn Mawr's performances in the 3k were Bati and Lehman who were also joined by teammates Sofie Prieto, Sofi Guven, and Lauren Kitay. The group had an early control of their heat, but a surge from an American University runner splintered the front pack. Midrace, first-year Prieto made a gutsy countermove to keep the Owls on track. Senior Lehman responded with Bati in tow. Soon, a second pack formed with Guven at the lead and Kitay tucked in the back. Bati (11:58.43) would eventually finish first for the Owls with Lehman (11:58.54) close behind. Bryn Mawr's finish marked the first time in four years that two Owls finished in under twelve minutes in the 3k during the same race. Additionally, all five Owls set PRs.

"It's great to see so many of our distance group coming out of winter break in excellent condition," Owls Head Coach Jason Hewitt commented. "We'll see faster times as we move through the season, but this is some great racing for a first meet back!"

Over in the field events, first-year Jessica Johnson continued her pursuit in the jumps, notching a 4.71m in the long jump and a 9.76m in the triple jump. Sophomore Nora Steil added another PR to the season in weight throw (7.28m) but came up just shy in season best (7.90m). 

In the sprints group, the fresh faces highlighted for the Owls. Rachel Dopico set her PR in the 60m (10.94s) and Lucy Sparks set her college PR (34.28s) in the 200m. 

The rest of the group showed solid performances in the sprints. Sophomore Colby Rossmassler competed in both the 60-meter run (9.59s) and the 60-meter hurdles (12.15s). First-year Kayla Camille ran in the 60-meter (8.72s) and the 200-meter (29.57s). Madeleine Yao competed alongside her fellow first-year teammate in the 60-meter run (8.85s) and the 200-meter run (29.15s). First-year Juliana Vair rounded out the 60-meter dash with a time of 11.19s.

"This group really hasn't had much time to prepare for a meet since we've been back," Coach Hewitt said. "You can tell we're in good shape this year and we're hungry for strong performances, but we need a little more time on the track to polish things up."

The strong performances of the mid-distance squad resulted in two championship qualifications, a personal record, and a season best.  In her first attempt of the year, sophomore Malin Just qualified in the 800-meter dash. Her time of 2:29.77 resulted in a season best. Fellow sophomore, Sohini Sarkar also qualified for championships in the 800-meter dash. Her time of 2:57.93 resulted in another personal record reached by an Owl at the Invitational. Marien Richardson (6:10.29), Evelyn Fort (6:31.01), and Delaney Cairns (6:57.06) represented Bryn Mawr in the mile run.

"The milers all produced solid marks but will need another week to garner those coveted PRs," Coach Hewitt said.

"The team was supported at the meet today by members of the Cannon family and friends of the team. Many thanks to those who made the trip to Ocean Breeze and to the many more who supported us from a far." – Coach Hewitt

The Owls will return on Saturday, January 21^st in Lancaster, Pa. to compete in the Coach 1 Invitational.