COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. - The Haverford College women's indoor track & field team impressed with some top marks at the Collegeville Classic on Saturday, finishing fifth overall in the team standings at the Floyd Bakes Track Center. The Fords totaled 57 points, getting contributions from a variety of events.
There's no doubt that the team's performance was highlighted by the production from first-year Olivia D'Aulerio and senior Jahsaiah Moses. The duo participated in the 60-meter dash and set the track on fire with a one-two finish in that event. D'Aulerio and Moses qualified for the finals after preliminary times of 8.27 and 8.29 respectively. Going into finals, the two were ranked third and fourth before the impressive race in the finals. D'Aulerio took the win, crossing the line in 8.11, with Moses right behind her running 8.13 for the photo finish.
Already sitting fifth all-time at Haverford in the 60-meter dash, Daulerio's time was just 0.06 off her 8.05 personal best she set back in December. Moses' personal best time also ranks as the sixth best time in program history.
Several Haverford athletes took part in the mile but it was Katie Hirsche who finished the highest among them. Battling for first place, Hirsche eventually finished second with a time of 5:23.06. Rounding out the top ten in the event were Krysta Nichols (5:54.23), Sophia Furman (5:59.86), and Jessie Hausman (6:00.05). The trio of runners finished sixth through eighth, to score the Fords some crucial points in the team scores.
In the 800 meters, Carly Priest and Dominique Monroy registered top-ten performances at the meet but finished just outside of the scoring places. However, the duo managed to post decent times to build on, running 2:32.69 and 2.33.11, respectively. Monroy's time was less than a second off her personal best of 2:32.70, which should be under threat this indoor season.
Isabel Thornberry kicked off her season in the 400 meters to score the team four points. The junior ran 1:03.86 to finish in fifth in what could almost be categorized as a "rust buster". As a sophomore, Thornberry finished indoor running 1:00.39 which is currently the eighth fastest time in Haverford's history.
The junior has plenty of time to get up to speed this indoor season. Rachel November also took part in the 400 meters crossing the line in 1:06.64, just over a second off her personal best. November finished tenth in the event.
The Fords earned their second first-place finish of the day in the 4x400-meter relay. The team of D'Aulerio, November, Thornberry, and Moses finished nearly eight seconds in front of the second-place finishers. Moses handling anchor duties crossed the line with the clock reading 4:13.96 to end the day for the sprinters.
Women's Track & Field posted some solid distances and heights in the field events. In the shot put, Sarah Wilcher and Sydney Cummings placed seventh and eighth, respectively. Wilcher threw for 10.43m (34ft, 3.75in) while Cummings threw for 10.43m (34ft, 2.75in). Cummings also took part in the weight throw, placing ninth with a distance of 12.05m (39ft, 6in).
Alice Creed returned to the pole vault, a spot where she was so consistent last year. She continued that performance on Saturday, finishing second with a height of 2.45m (8ft, 0.5in).
The Fords will look to continue to post solid times next week as they play hosts for the McElligott Invitational inside Alumni Field House on Saturday, January 28. It will be Haverford's first home meet of the indoor season, set to begin at 10:30 a.m.