This past weekend, both indoor track teams competed in the Centennial Conference Championships. The men's team finished sixth overall while the women achieved their highest-ever finish at a conference championship, earning the runner's up trophy. Culminating at Haverford, Pa., the championships marked a hopeful start to the postseason for the squad.
The Hopkins men racked up a total of 68 points, and were pushed onward by team members such as sophomore Peter Li, who placed fourth in the shot put with an impressive 14.52-meter throw. This particular throw also landed Li a place in Hopkins history, as he set a new school record, breaking his own previously held mark.
Smoking past Haverford, senior Jason Dubyoski also led the men's 4x400 relay team to a respectable third-place finish. The team, however, fell short due in part to extraneous circumstances. "We came in with high expectations, but we ended up not scoring points where we should have, as one of our major sprinters was injured," sophomore vaulter Matt Trachtenberg said. "We should have more healthy people by [the start of the] outdoor [track season]."
As some may know, track has indoor and outdoor seasons. The indoor season is run during the winter months, and the spring competition takes place on the outdoor track. Most indoor tracks also have the subtle difference that they half as long as the 400-meter outdoor tracks. Certain events in the indoor season are also scaled-down versions of outdoor events, such as the 60-meter sprint and 60-meter hurdles.
For the women's team, the Centennial Conference was an opportunity to shine. Having never finished in the top two at the championships, the Blue Jays beat out opponent Muhlenberg College by a razor-thin margin of just half a point.
The trio of top finishers was rounded out by perennial powerhouse Haverford College, who placed first at the meet. Of particular note was the women's 4x400 relay team, who gave an inspiring performance.
With Hopkins down by an agonizing one and a half points, the relay team of senior Giselle Joseph, sophomore Jordan Ireton, freshman Viann Nguyen and sophomore Paula Osborn posted a school-record-breaking time of 4:11.28. Even sweeter was the result of the relay team's performance on Hopkins' score. With the points from the 4x400 event, the women's team slipped past Muhlenberg College and into the No. 2 spot. Joseph's performance at the meet was also spectacular because of the array of events she participated in, including the 55-meter and 200-meter events, in which she finished first.
Sophomore Rachel Hogen and freshmen Mary O'Grady, Mira Patel and Laura Paulsen formed the 4x800 team that came through with a star performance late in the meet. The four runners finished first in their event beating out second place Haverford by just about one second. Additionally, each member of the 4x800 relay team had already run at least one event earlier in the day, adding to the authenticity of their endeavor.
The second-place finish was spurred on in part by the attitudes of both the women's team and the coaches that pushed them.
"Everyone was really positive. Seeing second place and realizing it was a possibility, we really attacked," sophomore distance runner Emma Hiza said.
The confidence that was exhibited throughout the meet was not apparent at first, due to the slew of injuries that threatened to leave the women's team shorthanded.
"We were definitely apprehensive because we had a lot of injuries in the sprinters," sophomore sprinter Jordan Ireton said. "But luckily everyone focused on just doing what they could to get points, and they all added up."
With the conclusion of the Centennial Conference Championships, the indoor track team is moving into their final meets before heading outdoors.
This weekend they will take on new contenders in the Eastern College Athletic Conference Championships.<?p>
