By Malcolm Luck
Sports Editor
Following an indoor season full of dazzling performances, four Lions clawed their way to the NCAA Division III Indoor Championships in Birmingham, Alabama.
On March 9 and 10, sophomores Katie LaCapria, Samantha Gorman and Kaila Carter and junior Kathleen Jaeger represented the College in the team’s final indoor meet. Jaeger was the only Lion to qualify in the preliminaries, earning a time of 2:14.48. In the final heat, she placed seventh out of eight competitors, finishing in 2:13.53, almost a second faster than her preliminary mark.
Jaeger concluded her season earning her second first team All-American honors in the 800-meter event to go along with the New Jersey Athletic Conference indoor track and field Larry G. Athlete accolade.
Meanwhile, LaCapria ran in the 800-meter event as well, missing the qualifying mark with her time of 2:17.73. Carter, representing the College in the 60-meter hurdles, clocked in at 9.01. Gorman completed the 400-meter event in 58.66.
With the indoor season behind them, the men’s and women’s track and field teams sought a fresh start for the outdoor season. On Saturday, March 18, the College traveled to San Diego to compete in the Ross and Sharon Irwin Invite at Point Loma Nazarene University.
The sunny weather ultimately proved to be the brightest part of the trip, as both teams were buried by their opponents. The men finished the afternoon in 11th place out of 12, while the women placed 10th.
For the men’s team, junior Noah Osterhus highlighted all performances with his fifth place finish at the 400-meter dash. His recorded time of 49.45 contributed five points to the team’s 12-point total. Freshman Tana Gawe achieved 11th place and two points for the Lions in the 400-meter hurdles, finishing in 56.45. The quad of sophomores Daniel Pflueger and Tyler Andriopoulos, junior Nathan Osterhus and senior Nicholas Genoese earned the team its remaining five points in the 4x100 relay, achieving an eighth place finish in 43.84.
The women’s team fared slightly better with a 30-point finish, but was ultimately overshadowed by a first place 262-point performance put forth by the U.S. Naval Academy.
Coming off of an amazing indoor season, LaCapria and Carter maintained their top-tier forms. LaCapria earned eight points for the College with her third place finish in the 800-meter run, crossing the finish line at 2:16.72. In the 100-meter hurdle, Carter obtained sixth place with her time of 15.13.
In the 100-meter dash, freshman Jada Grisson led all Lions, placing 13th in a slate of 38 competitors and clocked in at a blazing 12.53. In the 200-meter event, senior Danielle Celestin earned 15th place out of 60 and finished in 25.92. Following close behind in 17th and 18th places were teammates Gorman and Grisson with their times of 26.10 and 26.14, respectively.
In the field, freshman Jane Beiermeister earned eighth place out of 22 in the javelin event at 30.15 meters. Sophomore Christine Woods leapt to 10th place out of 21 with her mark of 1.50 meters in the high jump.
After a disappointing outdoor opener, the Lions will look to bounce back at the Danny Curran Invitational at Widener University on March 30.
