The men’s and women’s track and field teams have earned some tremendous accolades recently, being ranked sixth and eighth in the Mid-Atlantic Region by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
In addition, the men’s team was placed at 46th in the country.
“It’s a great thing, but we still know we have a ton of work to do,” head coach Joe Compagni said about the rankings. “We’re happy with the numbers and the rankings, but we need to continue to get stronger.”
The Hawks backed up their national and regional status Saturday, posting some great times at the Penn State National in State College, PA. Junior Dylan Capwell earned fourth place in the 800-meter with a time of 1:47.70, in one of the fastest races in the NCAA this year. In addition, junior Tionna Garner placed 10th overall in the 800-meter with an MU record mark of 2:09.46.
“They are the leaders of a tightly knit distance group,” Compagni said. “We knew coming into the weekend they would be lining up with some of the best runners around, and they really pulled through.”
But that isn’t where the Hawks were done breaking school records. Juniors Lindsey Bellaran and Jenna Cupp placed eighth and eleventh in the mile with times of 4:50.56 and 4:53.69, respectively. Both earned ECAC qualifying marks and spots at the top of MU’s record books.
Other ECAC qualifiers include sophomore Allie Wilson, who finished first in the unseeded 1000-meter race with a time of 2:55.33. Freshman Brianna Stratz placed third in the 500-meter race at 1:16.04, and senior Kendal Hand earned seventh place in the 800 with a time of 2:13.55.
“It was really encouraging, especially after travelling a few places this weekend,” Compagni said of the Hawks, who also competed at the Boston University Terrier Classic, Bucknell Bison Open and the Ramapo Invitational this past weekend. “We’re taking some really important steps coming into the most important part of the season.”
TENNIS DROPS THREE MATCHES IN NEW HAVEN
The men’s tennis team opened up their season this past weekend at Yale University’s Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center IN New Haven, CT, playing three matches over two days. However, MU fell in all three matches, against opponents Boston College, Buffalo and Yale.
Kicking off the season with a 4-2 loss to Boston College on Saturday, the Hawks received singles wins at No. 1 and No. 3 from juniors Przemyslaw Filipek and Vidit Vaghela. Filipek dominated in straight sets, 6-2, 6-0, while Vaghela won in the same fashion, 6-2, 6-4.
Monmouth took on Buffalo later that day, a 4-1 loss placing them at 0-2 on the season. Their only victory came from freshman Alberto Guiffrida at the No. 6 singles spot by a score of 6-3, 6-3.
On Sunday, the Hawks fell again in their final match of the weekend to Yale, losing 5-2. The two victories came in at No. 2 and No. 4 from Vaghela and freshman Nicola Pipoli. Both matches were fought in three-sets, Vaghela winning 1-6, 6-4, 7-5, while Pipoli went 6-3, 5-7, 7-5.
The Hawks will travel next weekend to West Point, NY, where they will compete against the University of Connecticut and Army West Point. The matches are set for Saturday at 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., respectively.
BOWLING FINISHES SIXTH IN ARLINGTON
The bowling team placed sixth overall this weekend at the Prairie View A&M Invitational at the International Training & Research Center in Arlington, TX.
Standout performances from the weekend included juniors Kaitlyn Reth, who individually finished 20th overall with a 198.33 average, and Jessica Nannemann, who ended the weekend 28th overall, posting a 190.17 average.
On Friday, MU posted a 1-3 record; however, their single win came over the #1 team in the country, Arkansas State, by a score of 1058-1025. They dropped the other three matches of the day to #3 Vanderbilt (922-1117), #4 Sam Houston State (963-1040) and #8 Stephen F. Austin (944-970).
The Hawks went 1-4 on Saturday, their win coming in their first match against #19 Tulane by a score of 924-891. In the victory, Nannemann carded a 207 and senior Mariah Jacobson posted a 204. MU’s four losses came from Texas Southern (903-849), defending National Champion #2 Nebraska (1116-863), #10 UMES (1094-985) and #21 Prairie View (1024-939).
MU will return to competition Feb. 12-14 at the Stephen F. Austin Stormin’ Ladyjack Classic at Palace Lanes in Houston, TX.
PHOTO COURTESY of Tom Connelly
