The Emory University track and field team returned to competition after winter break this weekend, registering a number of impressive performances at the Niswonger Invitational in Johnson City, Tennessee, including a number of the top marks among Division III competitors thus far this season.
Seeing action for the first time in the 2012-13 season, senior Kaele Leonard finished third in 400-meter dash with a time of 58.31 seconds, the fourth-best mark in Division III this season, entering the weekend. Leonard also claimed 39th-place in the 200-meter dash with a time of 26.50 seconds, the second-best mark by an Eagle at the meet.
Senior Tess Gallegos opened her season with an 11th-place finish in the seeded 5,000-meter run with a time of 18:15.89, the ninth-best time in Division III. Adding a strong distance performance was sophomore Stephanie Crane, who won the unseeded mile with a mark of 5:14.08, the 15th-best time by a Division III athlete this year entering the weekend.
Sophomore Debora Adjibaba was Emory's top finisher in a pair of events on Friday, finishing 14th in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.83 seconds and 21st in the 200-meter dash with a mark of 25.90 seconds, a personal-best time and the fifth-fastest time in school history. Junior Morgan Monroe was the Eagles' top finisher in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.58 seconds, while junior Kadijah Ameen finished 25th in the triple jump with a leap of 9.90 meters, and both senior Theresa Ford and sophomore Katie Wilson finished ninth in the high jump, each clearing a height of 1.53 meters.
For the men, junior Edward Mulder finished fourth in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 15:02.11, the sixth-fastest mark by a Division III competitor this season to start the weekend. Freshman Maxwell Hoberman had his second-straight strong performance in the triple jump, improving his season-best mark to 13.82 meters, good for a seventh-place finish and the 20th-best mark in Division III.
Hoberman wasn't the only freshman to register a top performance for the Emory men, as newcomer Adam Rabushka finished 17th in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.05, and 38th in the 200-meter dash with a mark of 23.44 seconds. Freshman Lukas Mees added a 23rd-place finish in the mile with a time of 4:38.30.
A quartet of junior contributed with top performances as well, with Mike Moserowitz finishing 28th in the 400-meter dash (52.75 seconds), Samuel Jean-Baptiste claiming 25th-place in the 60-meter dash (7.18 seconds), Brandon Bassell took home ninth-place in the high jump (1.88 meters) and Eric Weiner finished fourth in the 800-meter run (2:00.78).
Emory will continue competition this later weekend, sending a contingent of athletes to the Winston-Salem State Open on Sunday.