Although not entirely busy over spring break, the Lady Jay outdoor track squad began their season and picked up where the indoor crew left off thanks to the legs of freshman Lara Shegoski. This past Friday evening, Shegoski was the lone Jay representative at the Raleigh Relays, competing in her first career 10,000-meter race and the team’s first outdoor event of the new year.
Shegoski, who has been running year-round as a key member of the Centennial Conference champion cross-country and indoor-track teams, finished 23rd amongst a field filled with Division I opponents from schools such as North Carolina, William & Mary and Liberty. She was also one of just three freshmen out of 33 finishers.
Shegoski reached the finish line in 37:20.56, good for an NCAA provisional time. Elicia Anderson, a junior from Millersville University in Penn., took gold with a time of 34:17.92.
Just days before the race, the Jays were honored on a national-scale as senior Christina Valerio was named a USTFCCCA All-American following her second-place finish in the 5,000-meter race at the NCAA Championships.
Also being honored was the Jay coaching staff; head coach Bobby Van Allen and assistant Ryan Orner. Van Allen, in his 11th season, and Orner, in his fourth, were named Mideast head and assistant coaches of the year, respectively, after guiding Hopkins to their first indoor track Centennial Conference title in school history.
On a team note, the Jays head into the spring currently ranked eighth in the Program of the Year race which is based on NCAA Championship scores from cross-country and indoor and outdoor track season compiled into one.
The men’s squad took the break off from competition but also hope for a good outdoor season.
Hopkins looks to continue its success when both the women and men travel to Philadelphia this weekend for the UPenn Invitational.
The Jays will then travel south for the Duke Inviational before co-hosting the Hopkins/Loyola Invitational on April 16th.
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