Loeb paces Women's Track in tournament weekend

The Hopkins women’s track team rode some very strong individual performances at the Raleigh Relays and Maryland invitational while competing against a field of mostly D-I competition.

Senior Frances Loeb, the Mideast Regional Track Athlete of the Year, once again had a powerful performance, this time in the 10K run. Running the race for the first time in two years, the long distance specialist shattered the old conference record of 35:38.86 by nearly a minute. She finished seventh overall and first among non-D-I runners with a time of 34:42.63. Loeb holds the best time in the nation this year in the 10K, a mark that appears unlikely to be broken, unless by herself. For her efforts at the Raleigh meet, she was named U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Assocation (USTFCCCA) National Athlete of the Week.

In the same race, freshman Bridget Gottlieb broke the Hopkins freshman record that had been previously held by teammate Hannah Oneda (now a junior) with a time of 35:36.40. Gottlieb professed that she regards Oneda as a mentor.

“I look up to Hannah as she is such a strong runner,” Oneda said. “To be at her [freshman] time is encouraging.”

Gottlieb’s time would have broken the conference record if not for Loeb’s performance in the same race. Gottlieb was the second D-III runner to cross the finish line just behind teammate Frances Loeb. Gottlieb’s time is also second best in the nation to Loeb. The dynamic duo has carried the Lady Jays to the No. 4 ranking and is regarded as feared adversaries.

The 10K race is not a regular event; it is usually only run once or twice a season. Gottlieb and Loeb thus were determined to seize the opportunity and capitalize on the event’s rarity.

“[We] realized we only really had this race to try and qualify for nationals in the 10K,” Gottlieb said.

A few hundred miles away, several athletes competed in the Maryland Invitational. Sophomore Lara Gaffney and junior Jordan Delane put up strong showings in the 5000-meter run, finishing seventh and eighth, respectively. Despite a field loaded with D-I talent, including competitors from Georgetown University, Maryland University, Temple University and the University of Pennsylvania, Gaffney and Delane managed to collect points for the Lady Jays. Joining them in a top 10 finish was Senior Megan Kelly, who clenched ninth-place in the 200-meter run. Hopkins travels to Princeton, N.J. on Friday to compete in the Sam Howell Invitational.