With the Centennial Conference Championships less than a week away, the Hopkins men’s and women’s track teams were able to turn in strong performances at the Keogh Invitational in Haverford, Pa.
The Lady Jays were able to capture first place in six of the events they competed in while the men were victorious in three, setting school and personal records in the process. The various races have prepared the two teams for the Centennial Conference Championships that will take place in Collegeville, PA this upcoming weekend.
The men started out strong in the Keogh Invitational as junior David Ringwood ran an impressive time of 8:58:99 and fellow teammate sophomore Andrew Ceruzzi finished with a time of 8:59.38, leading the Jays to first and second place finishes in the 3,000 meter dash. Both looked extremely poised during the run and secured the first winning event for Hopkins.
Collin Rozanski provided more highlights as he raced to victory in the 400 meter dash with a swift time of 51.68 seconds. Following closely behind him was sophomore Alex Naticchia who grabbed second place with a time of 52 seconds flat along with freshman Nicholas Mantovani who came in fourth place with a respectable time of 52.24 seconds.
However, the boys were not finished as they continued to outrun and outhustle their competition. Sophomore Paul Vozzo claimed victory as he continued his fine season in the pole vault competition, winning with an astonishing height of 4.10 meters. Meanwhile, freshman Joseph Paek came in first in the high jump competition with a personal and season best height of 1.93 meters. Fellow Blue Jay sophomore Ryan Walsh also represented Hopkins admirably as he jumped his way to a third place finish.
However, the strong finishes ceased to end as the men continued to capture various second and third place finishes in an array of competitive events. Paek continued with his successful day, building off of his momentum to place third in the long jump event with a jump of 6.08 meters.
Freshman Adrian Stelmach continued his streak of strong finishes by coming in second in the 60 meter hurdle event with a time of 9.11 seconds. Naticchia followed up his other events with a second finish place in the 200-meter dash, solidifying the silver with a time of 23.25 seconds, and Ben Press dazzled the competition with a strong time of 1:58.05 in the 800-meter race to claim second place.
Sophomore Brendan Evans made a successful comeback after being sidelined by injuries to finish strong in the triple jump with a height of 12.73 meters, good enough for second place in the event.
The men added on more season bests at the Keogh Invitational this past weekend and looked extremely collected throughout the various events. “Overall, it was a strong, competitive race for the team,” remarked freshman Devin Conley. “The competition was tough and it gave us a taste of what to expect next weekend in the Centennial Conference Championships.”
They look to build off of their successes from this weekend and prepare for the tough competition ahead in the Centennial Conference Championships.
The Hopkins women’s track team also travelled to Haverford, PA to take part in the Keogh Invitational and dominated in several events against very tough competition.
The successful day started off with junior Maggie Shelton, as she ran her way to a remarkable first place finish in the 800-meter run. She finished the event with a time of 2:17.42, earning a personal season best and setting the tone for what would be a very successful day for the Lady Jays.
Freshman Sophia Meehan certainly used the momentum in the 3000-meter race as she left her opponents in the dust, finishing first overall with a time of 10:28.55.
Freshman Katherine Hamlet broke records in the high jump as she surpassed fellow teammate Nikki Kerns’ freshman record in the high jump event, finishing with a jump of 1.57 meters. Kerns nearly matched the jump, earning third overall in the Lady Jays domination of all competitors in the high jump.
Another first place finish was notched in the triple jump event as freshman Imoni McCorvey continued a successful streak of victories, finishing with a jump of 10.99 meters.
The first place finishes continued as junior Emily Swenson bested all competitors in shot put with a throw of 12.57 meters. Senior Emily Kashka concluded the first place finishes for the day by crushing all opponents in the pole vault competitions with a mark of 3.05 meters.
The Lady Jays continued to shine in other events throughout the day. Swenson and Kerns placed third and fourth respectively in the 60-meter hurdles while freshman Alex Popkin, freshman Juliana Wittmann and sophomore Emily Warner claimed third, fourth and fifth place finishes in the 400-meter dash.
Senior Liz Provost captured second in the mile run, junior Chloe Ryan and freshman Catharine Keim finished third and fourth in the 200 meter dash, and freshman Remington Ricciuti finished second overall in the long jump event.
With a strong weekend under their belts, the Jays will look to continue their hot stretch as they head into the Centennial Conference Championships next weekend. Many top runners have been preparing weeks in advance for the conference championships as they look towards reclaiming the indoor conference title.
Both the men’s and women’s teams will travel to Collegeville next weekend, determined and hungry to win a championship for the Blue Jays. “I would say both teams feel ready and prepared for the championships next weekend,” said freshman Ryan Schwartz. “After running a great race at Haverford this past weekend, both teams made final tune-ups and preparations heading into next weekend. We should be more than ready to run our best race of the season.”
The championship will be the toughest competition the two teams face all season. However, the Blue Jays look confident and ready to take on any opponent that stands in their way of claiming the Centennial Conference Championship.
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