WEST CHESTER, Pa. – The Haverford College women's outdoor track & field team returned to action at West Chester's Bill Butler Invitational on Saturday afternoon. Although the meet was not officially scored, the Fords had 23 different finishers in what would have been scoring positions, with numerous athletes setting new personal bests.
Haverford's largest contingent of entrants came in the 800 and 1,500 meter races. Sophie Drew was among seven individuals who doubled in those events, leading the Fords to the finish in both races. Drew won the 1,500 meter race with a time of 4:40.26 while she was runner-up in the 800 meters with a time of 2:21.80. Also turning in top seven finishes in the 1,500 meters were Jolie Jaycobs (4:54.87), Griffin Kaulbach (4:55.87), and Hannah Doll (4:58.89) as that trio swept the fifth through seventh positions. Jaycobs also broke 2:30 in the 800 as she placed 11th with a time of 2:29.50. Kaulbach just missed breaking that barrier by one-hundredth of a second to place 13th.
The Fords added a one-two finish in the 5,000 meters as Molly Hawkins won that event with a time of 19:21.17. She came to the line ahead of teammate Natalia Cordon (19:29.54) as Haverford claim the top two positions. Haverford also swept the fifth through eighth position in the steeplechase with Mckenna Krall (12:35.38), Sophie Schleifer (13:11.08), Zoe Arditi (13:30.13), and Annie Connolly-Sporing (13:32.03) making their event debut.
In the sprints, Jessica Lopez was runner-up in the 100 meter dash as she crossed the line in a personal-best time of 12.66 seconds. That time makes Lopez the third-fastest individual in school history. Lopez then joined Marisa Antinori, Ruanna Small, and Jasmine Reed on a 4x100 relay that placed third with a time of 50.84 seconds. Naomi Fukuda and Julia Coletti were Haverford's top finishers in the 200 meter and 400 meter races. Coletti placed third overall in the 400 meter field with a time of 1:02.05 and also was a member of two fourth-place relays in the 4x100 and 4x400. Tess Oberholtzer (16.40 seconds in 100 hurdles) and Grace Pindzola (1:15.66 in 400 hurdles) each picked up sixth place finishes in the hurdling events.
Haverford's field events saw a number of individuals shake up the College's record book. Unique Tuberville improved her school record in the hammer throw by nearly eight feet as she placed fifth overall Saturday with a mark of 39.59 meters (129'-11"). Tuberville also posted the 10th best shot put in school history (10.56m' 34'-7.75"). Sophia Nelson made her debut on the throwing team in hammer and shot put. Mari Horton also took her usual spot in the throwing events and would have had a top 10 mark in school history for the shot put (10.44m; 34'-3") had it not been for Tuberville's PR.
During the jumping events, Kerry Quigley and Antinori tied for eighth in the long jump as both athletes' best marks were measured at 4.58 meters (15'-0.5"). In pole vault, Grace Mathis cleared 10 feet for the first time during her outdoor career and is now tied for third in Haverford's outdoor record book.
Women's track & field will have a busy week upcoming as the Fords are scheduled to compete in two meets. They will first enter the Gwynedd Mercy Mid-Week Twilight Meet which is set for this coming Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. Next Saturday, the Fords will head back to Widener for the Chester Quarry Classic.