MEDFORD, MA (January 14, 2023) -- The Tufts University women's track and field team competed in its first full team competition Saturday afternoon, earning the team victory at the Tufts Jumbos Invitational in its first home meet of the 2022-23 season in the Gantcher Field House. Tufts earned 190.5 points to pick up the team triumph, knocking off Springfield College and five other schools on the afternoon.
The Jumbo women's squad earned six first-place honors on the day, highlighted by a huge jump by junior
Jaidyn Appel for the win in the high jump Saturday. Appel cleared 1.71 meters on her third and final attempt to earn the victory and in the process posting the top height in Division III so far this season.
Tufts would dominate many of the jumping events on Saturday, including the pole vault as
Sarah Firth earned the victory after clearing 3.45 meters for the 13th best height in the nation so far this year. First-year
Amelie Wickham was finished second with a mark of 3.00 meters, while junior
Maya Ansbro was third after clearing 3.00 meters as well. Sophomore
Nyla Thompson finished fifth after getting over the bar at 2.85 meters.
Appel was back at it with another standout performance in the triple jump, earning a victory in that event as well after leaping to a mark of 11.04 meters on her second attempt of six jumps. Sophomore
Jordan Andrew was fourth as well with a mark of 10.79 meters, while junior
Sarah Pillone took sixth after recording a jump of 10.71 meters.
Junior
Lia Rotti was solid in the long jump, finished second after posting a mark of 5.14 meters on her first attempt of the day.
On the track, junior
Cora Kakalec was fifth after prelims in the 60 meter dash and ended up taking seventh place after running a 8.29. Sophomore
Annika Kral ran a collegiate-best 8.43 for 10th place as well. The 200 meter dash saw Kral earn fifth place in the 200 meter dash, running a 27.11, and sophomore
Emma Smith was runner-up in the 400 meter dash after recording a 1:00.31, which was the 19th best time this season in Division III.
Also in the 400 meters, junior
Campbell Devlin was fourth after racing to a time of 1:01.77, sophomore
Antonia Knoth was fifth with a personal-best time of 1:02.54 and
Olivia Bollo also recorded a new PR as she took sixth place with a 1:03.86.
The Jumbos got another victory in the 600 meter dash, as
Emily Sverak raced to a time of 1:42.54, followed closely by first-year
Amelia Neiman with her debut time of 1:43.18. Senior
Hannah Fraser was fourth after running a 1:44.75.
Tufts saw senior
Hannah Neilon lead a group of five that swept the top five in the 1000 meter run, as she recorded a new personal-best time of 3:05.51 in the event. First-year Alexandra Dean was second after running a 3:09.70, and fellow newcomer
Eleanor Tyne finished third after crossing the line in 3:10.81. Sophomore
Rose Kitz was fourth in a time of 3:12.69, and Stephanie Mittaz registered a new collegiate-best with a 3:12.89.
In the 3000 meter run,
Madeline Huh ran to a new personal-best time after crossing the line in 10:49.20 for fourth place. First-year
Gwenyth Stach earned points in sixth place with a time of 11:02.88, and sophomore
Arianna Cozza also picked up a point for the team total after running a 11:25.00 for eighth place.
In the 60 meter hurdles, Pillone was second in the prelims with a time of 9.24 and ended up in second in the finals after running to a 9.14. The time was 17th-best in Division III so far this season. First-year
Teghan Sydnor was third in prelims after running a 9.47, finishing the finals in fourth after recording a 9.58. Madelyn Silveira was also sixth in the 60 hurdles after running a 10.27 in the finals after logging a time of 10.11 in prelims.
The Tufts relays in the 4x400 took first and second, as the Tufts "A" group of Neilon, Knoth, Bollo and Devlin sprinted to a time of 4:14.20 for the top spot. The "B" relay of
Emma Smith, Sverak, Kakalec and Kral was right behind them with a time of 4:18.98. Tufts' "A" relay sits in 25th nationally after Saturday.
In the throws, Elizabeth Graham finished 15th in the shot put with a mark of 9.16 meters, while finishing seventh in the weight throw with a mark of 13.25 meters. Sophomore
Madeline Walters was 11th in the weight throw with a personal-best heave of 11.30 meters, while
Maja Nielsen also recorded a collegiate best with a mark of 9.98 meters.
Tufts finished with 190.5 points to best Springfield College and its 142 points, while Division II American International College (94), Connecticut College (77.5), Keene State College (53), UMass Dartmouth (43) and Rhode Island College (26) rounded out the standings.
The Jumbos will be right back in the Gantcher Field House this upcoming Friday and Saturday, hosting the Branwen Smith-King Invitational January 20-21.
--JUMBOS--
