Track and Field: Relay team sets school record

Staff Report

A school record was set in a relay race by the University of Dayton Track and Field team during the Indiana Relays in Bloomington, Ind., taking place Friday, Jan. 31, and Saturday, Feb. 1.

The team of four distance runners in sophomore Olivia Albers, junior Nicole Armstrong, and seniors Lizzie Gleason and Kassy Thomas, competing as the B-team, finished the 4×800 Meter Relay in 9:08.59. The time was the fastest mark in program history, and good for fourth-place in the event standings.

The A-team of Albers, Armstrong, Thomas and junior distance runner Lauren Clark also ran in the event and finished in fifth-place with a time of 9:14.34.

Each runner in the event must complete two laps around the 400-meter long track, passing off a baton from between runners to finish the event.

Also during the meet, juniors Katie Ollier and Chelsea VanHook, senior Nicole Cargill and Gleason placed second in the distance medley at 11:50.56, .25 seconds behind the event’s winning team from Bradley University.

Senior sprinter Cassie Grandstaff in the 200-meter dash morning session finished with the third overall time in 26.35.
Senior jumper Juliana Lawniczak finished in a 10-way tie for fourth-place in the high jump at 1.6 meters.

“We had lots of good performances this week capped off with a school record 4x800m,” head coach Jason Francis told DaytonFlyers.com. “It was very encouraging as we move another week closer to the [Atlantic 10] conference meet. In our two remaining meets, the women need to keep positioning themselves as one of the A-10 teams to beat going into the conference meet.”

Dayton will split its roster between two different events both taking place from Friday, Feb. 7, and Saturday, Feb. 8.

The Flyers are scheduled to compete in the Meyo Invitational in South Bend, Ind., hosted by the University of Notre Dame, as well as the Akron Invitational hosted by the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio, at the Stile Athletics Field House.