GEORGETOWN, TEXAS- The Men's and Women's Track & Field teams hosted and participated in this year's Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Track & Field Championships on April 22-23, 2023.
Coach Eboh had this to say after hosting the SCAC Championship meet, "I wanted to thank all who were involved from our on campus support staff, conference administration and our officiating crew. It is the first time in nearly two decades that we have hosted a track and field championship in Georgetown. Without their help we would not have been able to support such an event. We saw some great performances throughout the championships. Very proud of how our athletes performed and composed themselves in our first ever home event. We look forward to hosting more track meets on campus in the future."
"I was really proud of my distance group for this meet. Most of them are freshmen and sophomores with very few veteran athletes on the team, navigating an experience like the first home track meet and conference championship in over 25 years can be tricky. To their credit, they were all very composed and focused on the task at hand. About half of them finished higher than they were seeded in the pre-conference rankings. We didn't achieve all of our goals we set coming in, but coming out, we have a clear idea of where we can work harder and smarter to be better next year.. Also, as far as logistics, the meet ran smoothly and there weren't any organizational hiccups to speak of. A massive part of the credit for that goes to Glenn Schwab, Michael Torres, and the rest of their staff for all the work they put in to make this event fun, competitive, and safe for all involved, said Coach Joe Sponsel.
The Women's Team walked away with some impressive results including over 10 Personal Records from various athletes.
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Lily McWhorter - 400 Hurdles 1:08.25
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Lauren Penders - 400 Hurdles 1:13.24
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Rachel Chiella - 800m - 2:24.22
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Riley Barlage - Hammer 42.16m
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Sydney Braun - Javelin 34.17m
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Kaila Hamilton - Discus 31.57m
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Kaila Hamilton- Hammer 36.11m
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Leandra Motelet- Javelin 25.75m
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Isabelle Rivera- Long Jump 14'3"
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Danielle Wilson - DIscus 32.07m
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Danielle Wilson - Hammer 34.53m
Arden Neff never seems to shy away from big races. She raced controlled and composed and decisevely won the 400M Hurdles. "Arden's back to back 400m hurdle win 2 years in a row is, of course, incredibly impressive. She's going to go down as one of the best, if not the best, women's 400m hurdler this conference has ever seen. Not only winning it, but also employing a race strategy we've been working on all year long to perfection was another highlight for me. She ran her own race when some of the other women took off too early, waited for the perfect moment, and then left the entire field behind. It was a fantastic performance that speaks to her dedication and the work she's put into this event," said Coach Tuttle.
New School Records were set by the women's 4x100M team which consisted of Katelin Pilarski, Lauren Mackrell, Dejahnae Thompson and Arden Neff. They lowered their record to 49.43. Taylor Hubbard broke the Javelin record with a mark of 35.35M.
Other Standout Performances:
Rachel Chiella - Scored points in 3 different distance events: 800m, 5k, 1500m.
Taylor Hubbard- 2nd place in Women's Javelin with a season's best throw.
Sydney Braun - 2nd place finish in Women's Javelin with seasons best throw
Riley Barlage - 2nd place in Women's Hammer with season's best throw.
"Our women's pole vaulters (as well as the entire field event crew) were a big highlight on day one for myself. Isabelle and Leandra cleared a bunch of heights, and did so cleanly. Despite being freshmen, they were able to score our team 5 points, putting us in 3rd overall going into day two. They really rose to the occasion and helped us build some momentum as the meet progressed, and I'm really looking forward to how they develop over the next few years," said Coach Tuttle.