JARED HILL
Special to The Leader
Friday and Saturday marked the beginning of the season for Fredonia’s Indoor Track and Field team, and the object of the game was all about setting high standards. The season began with an away meet in Ithaca for the Greg Page Relays.
“We’re going out there strong as a squad looking to drop some competitive marks early on,” said sophomore jumper Rocky Caparro.
That mentality would carry over to many of his teammates on the men’s and women’s teams. Showcasing the results of a long offseason of hard work and dedication, exemplary marks were made.
Senior Laura Morrison finished third in the 3,000-meter run, and later managed to anchor the winning distance in a Fredonia victory in the distance medley relay (DMR).
Furthermore sophomore Brittany Feldman set a school record in the individual event.
“I just knew that it was our first meet, and I thought that I could possibly do it,” said Morrison. “ I just got into my blocks and when the gun went off I ran as fast as my legs would let me, and it paid off.”
Feldman was 20th in a field of 83 women in the 300-meter run with a time of 42.63 seconds which set a new school record.
The top Fredonia performers in field events were sophomores Julia Schreier and Kristen Sawyer who placed sixth and seventh place in pole vault, respectively. Schreier cleared 3.30 meters (10 feet, 10 inches), and Sawyer cleared 3.15 meters (10 feet, 4 inches).
The men also opened the season up in a relatively strong fashion. The DMR quartet of sophomore Merlin Joseph Jr., sophomore Chase Towse, junior Bobby Cooper and senior Collin Mulcahy hit 10:36.74 to defeat three other teams at the Greg Page Relays.
Kyle Collins had two strong showings finishing second in the 5,000-meter run Friday, and finished third out of 25 runners in the 3K at 8:36.99 on Saturday. Mulcahy finished seventh in that race with a time of 8:56.01.
Another notable performance was that of sophomore pole vaulter Justyn Haines. Clearing a height of 4.5 meters (14 feet, 9 inches) at the event set a new personal-best for Haines, as well as putting him into sixth place for the vault.
“That was a big jump for me and one of the best experiences of my life,” recalled Haines. “My teammates are the best. It wasn’t winning the vault. My team knew it, but they cheered just as loudly when I jumped 14 feet, 9 inches. I couldn’t have done it without them. As for my jump, needless to say the hard work and dedication definitely paid off. That opened me up for much bigger things this season.”
Even though Feldmen said she has some things to keep working on, she’s excited to see where the season takes her.
“That seems to be the tell-all of last weekend,” said Fredonia record-holder Feldman. “The beginning of a long hard fought season that has the workings of a bright future, I’m excited for [the season].”
This weekend the Blue Devils will be traveling to Rochester for the RIT Early Season Invitational.