HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College women's indoor track & field team appears to be peaking at just the right time for the Centennial Conference Indoor Championships if Saturday's results from the Keogh Invitational are any indication. The Fords crowned three event champions and recorded five more runner-up places in their final preparation for the conference meet.
Sedona Murphy claimed another title in the 400 meter race, while Nicole Giannetti added the 3,000 meters to Haverford's list of individual champions. The distance medley relay was also tops in its event for the Fords' third title.
Murphy's winning time of 1:01.60 topped her closest Division I finisher by more than half of a second. Yue Xiang also competed in this event for the Fords, recording a sixth-place finish (1:06.68). In the 3,000, Giannetti finished more 1.5 seconds ahead of her closest competitor in a time of 10:51.55. Charlotte Lellman finished fourth overall (10:53.06) in the field, while MaryKate Cavanaugh (11:57.92), Amanda Glavin (12:04.24), and Allison Hacker (12:30.38) swept the sixth through eighth places. Haverford's distance medley relay won its event by over three seconds in a time of 12:54.84.
The Fords also made their marks in the school record book in the 60 meter hurdles and mile races. Mairead Ferry's runner-up finish in a time of 9.38 was edged out for first place by just one-hundredth of a second in the hurdles. She moved up to third in school history with her most recent personal best. Carolyn Oehrig finished that same event with a time of 9.91. Her fifth place finish makes her the sixth fastest individual in program history in the event. Robin Chernow also finished seventh for the Fords in this particular event.
In the mile, Kelley Riffenburgh became the 10th quickest individual in school history with a personal best time of 5:10.77. She finished behind a field with numerous Division I runners. Nora Weathers (5:13.99) and Katie Sullivan (5:17.65) ran to 11th and 13th place finishes, respectively. Alison Love (5:49.21), Liana Alves (6:07.69), and Marie Vastola (6:25.93) also ran in the mile field.
Haverford also posted another runner-up finish in the 200 and 800 meter races. In the 200, Oehrig recorded her second runner-up finish of the day with a time of 27.81. She was clipped by just over two-tenths of a second. Oehrig also highlighted the Fords' finishers in the 60 meters with a time of 8.64 to place ninth overall. Her teammate, Natasha Stanley was just one-hundredth of a second behind her in 10th. Katherine Greifeld finished second in the 800 meters to Penn's Alexandra Huntsman in a time of 2:22.74. Sullivan (2:233.26) and Katie Balmer (2:24.12) also recorded top five finishes in the event.
The field events on Saturday were highlighted by Elizabeth Reikowski recording a personal best in the triple jump for the second straight meet. Reikowski's new personal best of 10.66 meters (34'11.75") moves her up to fifth in the school record book. She finished second overall in the meet. Kimberly Haughton was just behind her in the standings with a leap of 9.36 meters. Ferry also moved up to fifth in the school record books in the pole vault. In just her second meet competing the event, she cleared 2.74 meters (8'11.75") to place second overall.
The Fords also had a pair of top five finishes in the shot put. Claire Sargent was third overall in the field with a toss of 11.59 meters. Chernow was fifth in the event with her throw of 11.13 meters. Chernow's busy day also included a fourth place finish in the high jump (1.30 meters) and sixth place finish in the long jump (3.95 meters). Chernow moves up to 10th in school history with her personal best clearance in the high jump. Joining Chernow in the long jump was a fourth place finish from Haughton (4.50 meters).
Up next will be the Centennial Conference Indoor Track &Field Championships. The meet will run on Saturday and Sunday. A full schedule is available inside the "2015 Centennial Championship" page located on the women's indoor track & field team page.