Track and field: Dayton takes second at A-10 Indoor Championships
Staff Report
The University of Dayton track and field team finished in a tie for second place during the 2014 Atlantic 10 Track and Field Indoor Championships, held Saturday, Feb. 22, and Sunday, Feb. 23, in Kingston, R.I., at the University of Rhode Island.
George Mason University won the competition in its first year as a member of the A-10. GMU scored 125 points to Dayton’s 109. UD tied with Duquesne University for second. Virginia Commonwealth University and Rhode Island rounded out the top five.
The team’s second place finish was an improvement over the 2013 A-10 Indoor Championship where the team finished in fourth place, scoring 76 total points.
This time around, the Flyers found themselves in much better position, with several members of the team finishing in the top three on Sunday.
Dayton was led by a handful of second place finishes.
Senior distance runner Lizzie Gleason finished in second place in the mile with a time of 4:59.01.
Senior distance runner Nicole Cargill also got second in the 1000-meter event. Cargill had a time of 2:54.78, which was her best time of the year. Sophomore distance runner Olivia Albers placed fourth in the event as well.
Junior thrower Miranda Nelson was the other runner-up, placing second in the shot put with a throw of 13.92-meters.
A pair of pole vaulters, senior Hanna Krizmanic and junior Ashley DeMange, grabbed second and third place finishes.
Other notable finishers for UD include junior Katy Garcia, who took third place in the high jump, junior sprinter Maya Pedersen, who finished fourth in the 400-meters and junior distance runner Katie Ollier who took fourth in the 3000-meters.
Dayton led after the first day of team competition with 43 points, leading George Mason by seven.
Junior Rebecca Maj finished fourth in the pentathlon, winning the high jump portion with a leap of 1.70 meters.
Aly Weeman won the weight throw with a toss of 19 meters, which was also a personal best.
The A-10 meet wrapped up the indoor portion of the season for UD. The team starts its outdoor schedule March 28 and March 29 at the Raleigh Relays in Raleigh, N.C., hosted by North Carolina State University.
Dayton, in total, will compete in seven outdoor events, including the A-10 Outdoor Conference Championships May 3 and May 4 in Amherst, Mass., on the campus of the University of Massachusetts.
Outside of competition, the Flyers recently inked a portion of their 2014-2015 recruiting class who will join the team in the fall. Dayton signed five athletes and will continue to build its class in the upcoming months.