This past weekend, the men’s and women’s track & field teams headed to Fairfax, Virginia to compete in the George Mason Spring Invitational. Though the competition was exceptional, the Jays kept pace with the numerous D-I schools in the field.
On the men’s side, freshman PJ Murray was named the Centennial Track Athlete of the Week for his seventh place finish in the 5,000-meter race. With a time of 14:55.98, Murray ran the 30th fastest time among D-III athletes this season.
For the women, sophomore Felicia Koerner had a stellar performance in the 1,500-meter race. Clocking a time of 4:28.81, Koerner finished in sixth place and posted the second-best time in D-III this season. She too would earn Centennial Track Athlete of the Week, alongside Murray.
But this week, we welcome a newcomer to Colwell’s Court. Setting the Hopkins program outdoor record in the pole vault, freshman Sophia Cortazzo is chosen as this week’s Athlete of the Week.
In a short amount of time, Cortazzo has managed to make huge contributions to the Hopkins track & field team. She is a consistent performer and has had top three finishes in three different competitions thus far in her rookie season. This includes the 2017 Centennial Conference Indoor Championships, where she finished third.
Following her record-setting eighth place finish this weekend, Cortazzo sat down with The News-Letter to discuss the team’s trip down to the George Mason Invitational and provided insight into her experience adjusting to collegiate-level competition.
The News-Letter: Was the team happy with its performance this weekend?
Sophia Cortazzo: Overall, the team had a great weekend! It is still the beginning of the outdoor season, so we are off to a great start, and we are especially looking forward to our home meet next weekend. Despite some cold and windy conditions during many of the events this weekend, a lot of teammates had amazing performances.
N-L:This weekend’s invitational included a large number of D-I competition. How did you approach this challenge? Did this fact affect your mindset going into the meet?
SC:I was not thinking much about the D-I athletes I would be competing against. Rather, I was more focused on my own performance.
Although track is very much a team sport, often times, my goal for a meet is to beat my own personal record or to work on something particular about my own jump rather than focusing on my competitors.
This weekend was my first meet of the outdoor season, so I was mostly just focusing on getting in some good jumps despite the windy weather and getting the initial nerves out.
N-L: How did it feel to set the outdoor program record in the pole vault?
SC: I was most focused on clearing 3.40 meters (roughly 11 feet 2 inches), which would beat the overall school record (both indoor and outdoor track) of 3.38 meters. When I just barely missed this height, I was bummed, because I am determined to achieve that goal, but once I heard that I broke the outdoor record with my 3.25-meter jump, I was so excited! Setting this record definitely put my hard work into perspective and made me really proud.
N-L: How hard was it to adjust from competing at the high school level to at the collegiate level?
SC:It was definitely a big adjustment, but I have an amazing team and coaches here at Hopkins, which made the process of getting settled in with my new team a lot better. The lifting and running program we have been doing has made me a lot stronger and faster, which shows in my vaulting.
N-L: Do you have any personal goals you are hoping to achieve this year and throughout your collegiate career?
SC: This year I am going for the overall school record. It is within reach, and I am itching to break it. Jumping 11 feet 2 inches would be both a new freshman record and a new school record. Other than that, my main goal is to jump 12 feet, a milestone that I cannot wait to reach.
Check out this freshman star in action this Friday as Cortazzo and the Jays compete in their only home meet of the year. Events will begin at 9 a.m. at the Hopkins Eastern Campus.
