As the weather has begun to heat up in recent days, so has the Hopkins women’s track and field team, who put together a dominant performance at the Goucher Invitational as the calendar flipped from March to April.
The Blue Jays racked up 198 points on the afternoon in what was a mid-season tune up for the team as it heads into the final portion of their schedule. In the 200 meter, junior sprinter Megan McDonald posted a time of 26.70 to claim the victory.
Fellow junior Emily Nordquist and senior Emily Warner also posted strong times in the event, finishing back to back in third and fourth place respectively. In the 400 meter, Hopkins posted four of the top five finishers, including standout sprinter Mary Kate Wallace, who outpaced all other runners in the event.
Second place went to junior sprinter Megan DiTrolio, who set a personal best in the event with a time of 1:02.93. Rounding out the top five were sophomores Breanna Johnson in fourth and Amy Garcia in fifth for the Jays.
Wallace attributed her team’s outstanding success to consistently excellent preparation.
“The team has been working hard all year, and it is really paying off,” Wallace said. “We are about halfway through the spring season and are excited to see great performances in the upcoming meets.”
In the 800 meter run, the team was able to put it all together. It swept the top five spots in the mid distance event, with senior standout Ingrid Johnson taking home first for the Jays. Freshman Caroline Smith, sophomore Laura Mears, junior Hudson VanSlooten and freshman Ellie Burton finished second thru fifth, respectively. While that accomplishment is certainly impressive, the 1500 meter squad was able to sweep the top six positions at Goucher later in the afternoon.
Emerging freshman distance runner Argentina Chrappa managed to capture first place in the 3000 meter. She attributed the positive day to the mindset instilled in the team by the coaching staff, who told them to stay loose and focused in the smaller environment of the meet.
“The meet this past weekend was smaller, so our coaches just wanted us to get on the track to see what we could do, and to have fun,” the freshman said. “Even though it was cold and windy, we still had a very successful day as a team.”
As a highly successful freshman and future leader of the program, Chrappa mentioned that the adjustment to college-level running had initially been difficult, but that her coaches and older teammates had been incredibly supportive and helpful in her transition.
“Compared to high school, college running is definitely more intense and for me, much more mileage. But our coaches did a great job easing all the freshmen into the program,” Chrappa said.
Chrappa also mentioned that she thought this tight-knit group could achieve great things due to their dedication and a collectively unselfish and supportive team atmosphere.
“I think the team and coaching staff are the reason we are able to be so successful. Everyone is so supportive of each other and is always working their hardest to make the team better,” Chrappa said. “It’s exciting to be a part of a team where every day everyone wants to be better than they were yesterday.”
Hopkins will continue in their sole home meet of the year when they partake in the Hopkins/Loyola Invitational on April 11 here in Baltimore.
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