The Patriots had their outdoor season opener at West Chester's Purple & Gold Invitational on Saturday, March 22! While up against great competition, the Patriots started the season well with strong times. Of this year's team, more than half are first-time track runners. They are excited to pursue excellence throughout the season.
Some noteworthy performances from this meet:
Nathaniel Gale (junior) came in 10
th place out of 44 competitors in the Men's 800M with a time of 2:08.85 (just two seconds away from his career PR). Nathaniel also had a strong opening in the Men's 1500M with a time of 4:34.94 (32
nd place out of 64 runners).
We had 7 sprinters showcase in the Men's 100M. Our top 3 Patriots were
Yaone Badisang (12.40),
Shane Keith (12.50), and
Samuel Gutierrez (12.69).
Yaone Badisang was also our top Patriot in the Men's 200M with a time of 24.79 (47
th out of 71). Our next two Patriots after him were
Samuel Gutierrez (25.90) and
Shane Keith (26.26).
In the Men's 400M,
Shane Keith was our top runner with a time of 56.05, which landed him in 30
th place out of 48 competitors.
Lastly for the men's highlights, Freshman Benjamin (Rhys) Schoonmaker launched his collegiate Track & Field career in Shot Put (9.68m; 16
th/23) and Discus (22.29m; 22
nd/25).
On the women's side, Freshman
Autumn Karampatsos had an impressive debut in the 400M where she ran a 68.75 and came in 19
th place out of 32 opponents. She also competed in the 100M and 200M.
Next up, the team will head to the Ursinus Track & Field Festival on April 5
th. We are looking to build on this weekend's success and continue improving. Come out to support the team!
