EWING, N.J. - The Haverford College women's track & field team traveled to Ewing, New Jersey, for the 2022 Lions Outdoor Invitational and the final meet before conference championships. Although the Fords sent a small group, there were undoubtedly performances to be impressed with on the day.
Haverford's 4x100 relay team placed themselves right in the middle of the pack on the Centennial Conference performance list. The relay team of Naomi Fukuda, Jahsaiah Moses, Isabel Thornberry, and Kayla Robinson passed the baton around in 50.74, which is currently the fourth-best time in the conference.
Moses and Fukuda held it down in the 100 and 200-meter races, respectively. Moses took seventh overall in the 100 meters, crossing the finish line in 12.84. The junior holds a personal best of 12.69, which places her in a tie for fifth in the conference heading into the championships. The mark is also the fourth best in outdoor program history. Fukuda is now 22nd on the 200-meter list after her personal best of 27.51. However, the senior is peaking at the right time and could lower that time even more at championships.
Four Haverford athletes competed in the 800-meter run. Lauren Tanel finished the best of the bunch, crossing the line in 2:28.99, two seconds off of her personal best. Dominique Monroy finished three places behind Tanel (23rd) in a loaded field with a 2:30.16. It was a personal best performance for the first-year athlete, so there is certainly more to come in what should be a successful career for Haverford. Two-sport athlete Juliet Young dropped her 800-meter time in three straight meets and her time at TCNJ made it four straight. Young finished in 2:33.06, which is a massive improvement from her first 800-meter race on April 2, where she ran 2:37.13. Ella Fleming rounded out the performances, running 2:41.88.
Taylor Seid and Selena She took the line for the 1500-meter race. Taylor finished with a time of 5:51.00 while She crossed the finish line with the clock reading 5:54.38. It was a personal best for She.
Alice Creed has now cleared 2.90 meters (9 feet, 6.25 inches) in two straight meets that she has competed in the pole vault. Her consistency in the event has set her up nicely. She currently sits seventh on the conference performance list with her season's best of 2.95 meters (9 feet, 8.14 inches).
In the long jump, Robinson took eighth with a leap of 5.03 meters (16 feet, 6 inches), while counterpart Fiona Flynn jumped 4.82 meters (15 feet, 9.75 inches) to finish 15th. Robinson's 5.21-meter jump from April 1 has her tied for fourth in the conference going into the Centennial Conference Championships. The junior will indeed be relied upon for valuable points.
Again, peaking at the right time is what it takes to have good championship performances. The Haverford 4 x400 meter relay team is doing just that. The team clocked 4:06.21 to win the meet, placing them in fourth and in the fast heat for conference championships. The relay was paced by 400m/800m standout Isabel Thornberry and her teammates Moses, Rachel November, and Flynn.
It's conference championships time for the Fords now as they look forward to their travels to Collegeville, Pa next weekend. The Centennial Conference Championships will be hosted by Ursinus College, and Haverford is a team on the rise with a bulk of young talent. As a result, coaches have some tough decisions to make in the next few days as to what events athletes will take part in to maximize their opportunity for points. Conference championships are scheduled for Friday, May 6, through May 8.