The Emory University Track & Field team hosted its annual Crossplex Invitational in Birmingham, Alabama on Sunday. The women's team finished in fifth place after totaling 55 points, while the men's squad accrued 38 points over the course of the day and ended in sixth place.
Thrower Laura Sheckter gave Emory its highlight of the day with a record-setting effort in the women's shotput. The junior unleashed a 13.51m toss, which was more than a full meter more than the previous record established by senior Greta Wilker (12.47m) just over a month ago in the BSC Indoor Icebreaker. Sheckter contributed 11 points to the Eagles' total, as the converted Emory basketball player used a 13.85m attempt – a personal-best – to earn eighth-place. Sheckter now sits on top of the UAA performance list in the shotput and is eighth in all of DIII. Additionally, the Manhattan Beach, CA native heaved the weight 13.81m (2nd in UAA) to take eighth in the event and earn one point. Senior Amy Hunter secured eight points for her team by covering 10.82m in the triple-jump to capture second-place. Senior Isabel Saridakis and junior Erin Yuder combined for 13 points in the pole vault. Saridakis cleared 3.50m, giving her 10 points and second overall, while Yuder managed to get over the bar at 3.05m (8th, 3 pts.).
On the track, the Eagles were led by junior Rebekah Bondi and freshman Abby Baisley. Bondi recorded a time of 7.84 in the 60m dash to finish in second and pick up eight points. In the 400m dash, Baisley crossed the finish in 1:00.59, giving her second place and adding eight points to the team total. Rounding out the scoring for Emory was freshman Claire Evans who advanced to the finals of the 60m hurdles and placed in eighth to add one point. The Eagles' A 4x400m Relay team performed well, as the team of Baisley, Evans, fellow freshman Ella Lavelle, and junior Michelle Rosenblum ended in fourth (4:09.20, 5 pts.).
Overall, Lee (Tenn.) claimed the top spot out of 16 teams after collecting 133.5 points, and was trailed by West Georgia (81 pts.), Alabama-Huntsville (77 pts.), and St. Norbert (66 pts.).
The men's track and field team was led by Liam Fost as the junior sprinter won the 400m dash (49.46, 10 pts.) – now the top time in the UAA – and came in seventh in the 200m dash after racing to a time of 22.70 (4 pts.). The Eagles accrued 11 points in the 800m run by placing three runners in the top eight. Freshman Andrew Pahnke (1:58.62, 5th, 5 pts.), junior Jacob Hedgepeth (1:59.62, 6th, 4 pts), and junior Tom Perretta (1:59.56, 8th, 2 pts.) all ran well in the event. In the mile, sophomore Spencer Moore established a new personal record by finishing in 4:26.10 (7th, 2 pts.). In a field full of DII competitors, junior Egan Kattenberg took seventh-place in the 3000m run (8:48.20, 2 pts). The final points to come from the track were produced by the 4x400m Relay team. The squad of Fost, senior Fernando Cardozo, Perretta, and senior Alex Rand combined for a time of 3:28.08, earning fifth-place and picking up four more points.
Freshman Wheeler Wilson, the holder of the current Emory men's shotput record, was the sole Eagle participant to score in the field events. Wilson chucked the shotput 14.64m, good enough for fourth-place (5 pts.).
Alabama-Huntsville took home the team title, as it claimed 146 points. Lee (Tenn.) was the runner-up of the competition with 114 points. Reinhardt (54 pts.), Cumberland (Tenn.) (50 pts.), and Piedmont (39 pts.) all slotted behind the top pair of teams.
For full results of the meet, please click here.
The Eagles will continue their indoor season next Saturday and Sunday with the two-day JDL Flat is Fast event in Winston-Salem, NC.