Track and field wrapped up an eventful weekend competing in Charlottesville at the Virginia Challenge. The meet is one of the largest of the season hosted on the east coast, with nearly 2,000 athletes competing. With the end of the outdoor season fast approaching, the three-day meet was a great opportunity for the Red to compete against high quality competition and to prepare for the final stretch of the season.
“It was a long journey, but it was worth it,” said Men’s Head Coach Adrian Durant. “The weather was wonderful and there were a lot of strong teams competing. That was really good.”
A number of athletes set personal bests, and school records are continuously being tested.
The sole winner on the women’s side was senior Brooke Overholt in the 400m hurdles, winning the event with a time of 58.19 seconds.
For the men, junior Dylan Rodgers won the pole vault by clearing a 16-11 (5.16m), good enough for third-best all-time in Cornell history. Sophomore Shane Racey took 6th in the invitational pole vault with a 16-9.25 (5.11m) finish.
Two women’s school records were broken as well. Junior Phoebe Price-Roberts took 10th in the hammer throw with a 182-0 (55.48m) throw. Junior Victoria Atkinson took fifth in the invitational pole vault by clearing a personal and Cornell-best 13-7.75 (4.16m).
“We’re sitting at fourth in the [Northeast] region right now, so we’re sitting at the top of an extremely competitive league,” Coach Durant said. “It just makes the meets more fun and competitive. We’re really looking forward to seeing what the high level of competition brings out of us at conference.”
Coming up next for the Red are some opportunities to compete at the Cortland CNY College Challenge on April 26 and the Penn Relays this coming weekend. These meets will help to get a feel for who will represent the Red at the Outdoor Ivy League Heptagonal Championships in the beginning of May. This week will mark the end of the season for the majority of the team.
“And of course, we’re going into this meet to win,” Coach Durant said. “We’re confident going into HEPS and we’re looking forward to it.”