In a recent preseason poll, both the Hopkins men’s and women’s track teams were picked to win the Centennial Conference Championship in the upcoming outdoor track season. Both teams will be challenged by the Haverford College Fords, who are predicted to be runner-up in both the men’s and women’s competitions. The Hopkins men and women competed in the Maryland Invitational, hosted by the University of Maryland this past Saturday, and proved it will be a formidable challenge for any Centennial team to take them down this year.
The Lady Jays saw a number of exceptional individual performances this past weekend. In the 1500 meter, sophomore Caroline Smith and junior Shannon Martello both ran personal bests. Smith, who recently received All-American honors as a member of the distance medley relay during the indoor season, placed third with a finishing time of 4:42. She was separated from the first place finisher by only a second.
Freshman Felicia Koerner also had an impressive finish this weekend in the 3000 meter. With a 30-second personal best in the event, Koerner crossed the line in 9:57 to place second.
“The team was mostly focused on getting our feet wet,” Koerner said about the team’s first outdoor meet. “We were more concerned with our individual performances and, on the whole, saw some new PRs and performances indicative of a great season.”
Koerner was followed closely by her two teammates. Junior Tess Meehan crossed the line in third and senior Jordan Delane in fourth, placing the Jays in three of the top five finishes.
The Jays’ performance landed them a third-place finish this weekend with 88 points behind two D-I teams, the University of Maryland Terps and the Howard University Bison.
The men saw impressive performances both on the field and the track. Senior Schaffer Ochstein highlighted the Jays’ acumen in the distance events. He finished third in the 3000 meter, crossing the line in 8:43. He was followed by freshman teammate Scott Pourshalchi in fifth. The Jays had five runners in the top 10 finishes.
On the field, junior Andrew Bartnett continued his success from the indoor season. Just a few weeks ago, Bartnett placed second at National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championships in the pole vault for the second consecutive year and earned All-American honors. To no one’s surprise, Bartnett won the pole vault in 4.87m this past Saturday. Sophomore teammate Alex Kossak finished third in 4.12m.
Adding to the success of the men’s squad, junior Tom Boucher broke his own program record in the javelin. Boucher threw 59.79m to win the event and earn 10 team points. His performance broke his record set last year by over five meters. Sophomore teammate Matt Kosarek placed third in the event for six more team points.
“It is easy to do well at something if you enjoy working towards your goals,” Boucher said. “Spending time with these people, all working toward the same goals is one of the greatest experiences.”
After his performance this weekend, Boucher was subsequently named the Centennial Conference Athlete of the Week. His mark in the javelin ranks him at the top of the Centennial Conference and fourth among all D-III throwers.
Overall, the men finished with 149 points to earn second place in the team finish. They followed behind first-place Rowan University by just 24 points and managed to edge out home team Maryland by three points.
“The main concern was to get the season going and to feel the adrenaline of competition again,” Boucher said.
Both teams will compete on Saturday in Williamsburg, Va. at the Colonial Invite hosted by College of William & Mary.
