Track and Field Returns to Action at Kent State

Women's Track and Field VMIKeydets.com

Pole Vaulters Lead Women's T&F at Winter Relays

LEXINGTON, Va. – Kate Collins equaled her own school record in the pole vault, and VMI earned four of the top six places to pace the women's track and field team at the annual Winter Relays, held in Cormack Field House in Lexington.

Collins successfully cleared 3.50 meters (11'5 ¾”) to win the competition, and tie a mark she equaled last season.  She is one of only two Keydet women to clear that mark indoors, joining Nadia Wendlandt, who did so in 2003.

Jennifer Sing finished second in the vault, with an indoor best clearance of 3.40 M (11'1 ¾”), and Nicole Harding and Carrie Wortham were fifth and sixth respectively, as each cleared 3.20 M (10'6”). That effort tied Wortham's lifetime best, set earlier this season at the Northeastern Invitational.

“The Winter Relays has been a staple in our schedule for over fifty years,” said VMI head coach Darrin Webb. “Having 17 teams was really outstanding, as it gave all our athletes a chance to go against good competition, and I believe we came out of this meet exactly where I hoped we would be.  We have a couple of athletes that are still working hard to get healthy, but I saw many promising performances today. Between the two teams, we had 20 top five finishes and five victories, and any time you have those numbers with this many teams here, it's a good day.”

Other strong races for VMI included the one mile run, which was won by Leah Schubel. Her time of 5:33.45 was some 10 seconds better than her closest competitor, with teammate Lindsey Carty finishing third.

The 800-meter run was also kind to the hosts, as Molly Western followed up last weekend's personal best with a second-place finish (2:27.78). Dalton Kuhar was fourth (2:30.65), and Hannah Best came home seventh (2:34.22).

In addition, Danielle Dove posted a second-place finish in the 400-meters and a fourth-place effort in the 200, while Zipporah McCann had a lifetime best time in the preliminaries of the 55-meter hurdles, before being forced to withdraw due to injury.

“On the women's side, I thought the women's pole vault was outstanding after a long trip last weekend,” said Coach Webb. “I was pleased with Kate winning, with a seasonal best performance, as well as the indoor PR by Jen. I was also happy with Nicole and Carrie, who each cleared 3.20 M. I thought Leah in the mile and Molly in the 800m were also very good, and as we move to faster facilities, we will see their first and second place times improve, especially as we move towards the conference championship. Danielle and Zipporah's days were also notable, and we're glad to see that Zipporah's injury does not appear to be serious.”

Finally. Aquisi Harris (4th/45'7 – 13.89 M) and Kelsey McCusker (7th/40'7” – 11.70 M) both placed in the top seven of the weight throw, while freshman Mary Grace Lemon was sixth in the shot put (10.77 M/35'4”).

VMI track and field will return to action next weekend, as the squads travel to Akron, Ohio to take part in the Akron Invitational. Action is scheduled to get underway Friday.  

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Hannah Best

Hannah Best

Distance
Freshman
Lindsey Carty

Lindsey Carty

Distance
Sophomore
Kate Collins

Kate Collins

Pole Vault
Sophomore
Danielle Dove

Danielle Dove

Relays
Senior
Nicole Harding

Nicole Harding

Pole Vault
Freshman
Aquisi Harris

Aquisi Harris

Throws
Senior
Dalton Kuhar

Dalton Kuhar

Distance
Freshman
Mary Grace Lemon

Mary Grace Lemon

Throws
Freshman
Zipporah McCann

Zipporah McCann

Jumps
Senior
Kelsey McCusker

Kelsey McCusker

Throws
Sophomore
Leah Schubel

Leah Schubel

Distance
Sophomore
Jennifer Sing

Jennifer Sing

Pole Vault
Junior

Players Mentioned

Hannah Best

Hannah Best

Freshman
Distance
Lindsey Carty

Lindsey Carty

Sophomore
Distance
Kate Collins

Kate Collins

Sophomore
Pole Vault
Danielle Dove

Danielle Dove

Senior
Relays
Nicole Harding

Nicole Harding

Freshman
Pole Vault
Aquisi Harris

Aquisi Harris

Senior
Throws
Dalton Kuhar

Dalton Kuhar

Freshman
Distance
Mary Grace Lemon

Mary Grace Lemon

Freshman
Throws
Zipporah McCann

Zipporah McCann

Senior
Jumps
Kelsey McCusker

Kelsey McCusker

Sophomore
Throws
Leah Schubel

Leah Schubel

Sophomore
Distance
Jennifer Sing

Jennifer Sing

Junior
Pole Vault