The Johns Hopkins Men's and Women's track teams traveled to Mary Washington College to compete in the Battleground Relays last weekend, as several athletes posted very impressive marks. Two other athletes, sophomore Aline Bernard and senior John Apperson, competed in the Raleigh Relays at North Carolina State University.
At the Battleground Relays, junior Kathy Darling stole the show by shattering the existing Hopkins discus record by over 43 feet and taking first in the javelin. With a throw of 150'2.5'', Darling took first, winning the event by over 20 feet. In the javelin, Darling outdistanced her competitors by over 37 feet with a throw of 157.10.
"I knew that I was going to break the [discus] record, based on what I typically throw," Darling commented. "I threw about 10 ft. less than my personal best, so I have a ways to go yet."
Also for the women, freshmen Jessica Bylander finished ninth out of a field of 21 athletes in the long jump, with a mark of 15'1.5". Freshman Maureen Kimsey finished 10th in the 1500m run with a finish of 5:22.96. Sophomore Anna Stirgwolt and junior Jenn Shultz took 13th and 14th, respectively, in the 1500m run, while the women's sprint medley team finished fifth with a time of 1:59.20.
For the men, the stars of the day were the relay teams. The 4x100m team finished third out of a field of 17 teams, posting a mark of 0.43.71. The sprint medley relay finished fourth out of 19 at a time of 3:38.90, while the 4x200m relay team finished tied for fifth out 15, with a time of 1:32.80.
Individually for the men, freshman Brian Wolcott managed a third-place tie in the pole vault with a 12'0'' mark. Junior Rajeev Mahajan tied for fourth in the high jump with a leap of 6'0'', and senior Ryan Holak finished 11th out of 24 in the javelin with a throw of 148'9''.
At the Raleigh Relays, Bernard ran an impressive 10k, finishing at 39:44.83, the fourth fastest time in school history. Apperson posted solid number in the 1500m, finishing with a time of 4:03.09, fifth in his heat, and 33rd out of 110 competitors. Apperson's finish was also the fourth fastest in school history.
"This season is looking promising," freshman Mike Shumski commented. "We're looking forward to the Conference meet, where we should have our best showing yet." Shumski, who has been injured for the first two weeks of the season, is looking forward to coming off the disabled list in time for the team's next meet.
The teams will travel to Swarthmore to compete in a dual meet on Saturday.
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