AVRIL KING
Social Media Manager and Assistant Sports Editor
Three women from the Fredonia track and field team made strides at the Rochester Institute of Technology last Friday, Feb. 2.
Brittany Feldman, a senior social work major, took first in the 400 meter sprint, finishing with a time of 59.49 seconds and beating 23 other women.
“It’s always a good feeling when you know that you won a race,” she said. “For me, I was still pretty upset with my performance. I really focus on the times I run instead of what place I finish in. So I was happy, but there is always room for improvement.”
Sarah Couperus beat out 14 athletes to win the high jump. The senior social work major jumped over five feet, two and a quarter inches.
Still, the win was not the most important aspect to Couperus.
“I didn’t feel any certain way when I won high jump,” she said. “I was more worried about the height that I would clear that day instead of the place that I would finish in.”
Finally, Rachel Williams, a senior music therapy and psychology major, was able to take first place out of 21 athletes in the 20-point weight throw, making it her first win in a college-level event. It was her second time throwing over 15 meters.
“I never pictured myself as a freshman throwing over 15 meters in the weight,” she said. “It was just a really cool moment to see how far I’d come.”
Williams also took second place out of 32 in the shot put, throwing 11.86 meters.
Now, the three athletes are not just looking forward to the championship SUNYAC meet held Feb. 23 and 24 at SUNY Brockport; they all also qualified for the Atlantic Regional meet in Ithaca, N.Y., held March 2 and 3.
As seniors, they’re looking forward to their lives after Fredonia.
“Since I’m graduating, that means this is my last season, which is a bittersweet feeling,” said Couperus. “I’ll miss competing with the team and doing the sport that I love, but I’m excited to start working more towards my future career.”
Although, Williams shared that she had apprehensions about moving on from the team.
“It’s really weird to think about not being on the track team anymore,” she said. “I’ve been throwing since freshman year of high school, so it’s been eight years since I started. I don’t know how I feel about the track team continuing on without me.”
Still, there are a few more weeks left in the indoor track season, and each of the athletes could still qualify to attend the national meet held in Birmingham, Ala., the week after regionals. Hopefully this gives these three women the opportunity to reach their goals before their last season comes to a close.