The Emory University Women's Track and Field team turned in the best indoor season in the program's history during the 2012-13 campaign, matching squad records for the best finish and the most all-Americans at the NCAA Championships, and winning the University Athletic Association (UAA) Title.
Emory finished tied for ninth at the 2013 NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships, hosted by North Central College in Naperville, Illinois, scoring 16 points during the meet. It was the best finish at the indoor championships in the program's history, and matched the ninth-place finish of Emory's 2002 squad at the outdoor championships for the top finish, indoor or outdoor, in the team's history. Previously, the Eagles had finished no better than 22nd at the NCAA Indoor Championships (1995).
The Eagles claimed all-America finishes in five events at the meet, the most ever for an Emory squad during either an indoor or outdoor championship. Senior Theresa Ford led the way with two individual all-America honors, finishing fifth in the high jump with a school-record of 1.69 meters, and sixth in the long jump, adding seven points to the Eagles' team total. Ford ended her indoor career with three all-America honors, the most by an individual in the program's history.
In the running events, Emory received an all-America finish from its 4x400-meter relay team of freshman Alexandra Aiello, sophomore Electra Korn, sophomore Debora Adjibaba and senior Kaele Leonard, which finished seventh with a time of 3:52.11. Adjibaba added a sixth-place finish in the 60-meter dash after running a school-record time of 7.71 seconds in the preliminaries, while Leonard claimed sixth in the 400-meter dash, both good for all-America honors as well.
For her efforts during the season, Ford was named the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) South/ Southeast Region Field Athlete of the Year. In addition, John Curtin was named the region's Head Coach of the Year, while Aaron Campbell was named the Assistant Coach of the Year.
Emory claimed the team title at 2013 UAA Championships in thrilling fashion, edging second-place Washington University (Mo.) by one point with a first-place finish in the final event of the meet, the 4x400-meter relay. The Eagles claimed eight total conference titles during the meet, seven of which came on the final day, including the 4x400-meter relay championship won by Aiello, Korn, Adjibaba and Leonard. The Eagles totaled 132 points during the two-day affair, hosted by Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, winning their third UAA Indoor Championship in the program's history, and second in the last three years.
Three Emory indoor records were set at the 2013 UAA Championships. Leonard set the new school record in the 400-meter dash, winning the event with a time of 56.94 seconds. In the 800-meter dash, sophomore Stephanie Crane won the event after running a program-best time of 2:15.27 in the preliminaries. Ford set a record in the long jump with an event-winning leap of 5.76 meters, good for a conference record as well. Monroe added a conference-record setting performance in the 55-meter hurdles, finishing first with a time of 8.21 seconds, the second-fastest time in school history.
Adjibaba claimed a pair of individual conference titles, winning both the 55-meter dash and 200-meter dash, while Ford secured a first-place finish in the high jump at the UAA Championships. Emory athletes picked up three additional second-place finishes and two more third-place finishes, earning a total of 13 all-UAA honors during the meet.
Following the meet, Ford was named the UAA Most Valuable Performer for Field Events for the second-straight indoor season, while Curtin and Campbell, along with Mark Johnson, Carl Leivers, Pedro Vasquez were named the UAA Women's Indoor Coaching Staff of the Year for just the second time in the program's history.
A week later, at the Tufts Last Chance Meet, Aiello, Korn, Adjibaba and Leonard broke the school record in the 4x400-meter relay with a time of 3:51.64, which, at the time, ranked as the fastest mark in Division III during the season. Ford added another program record in the indoor pentathlon, scoring 3,187 points at the Samford Multi and Invitational.
Emory participated in two scored meets during the regular season. The Eagles finished second out of 15 teams at the Emory Crossplex Invitational in Birmingham, Alabama, the first indoor meet hosted by Emory in recent history. The Eagles also sent a limited squad to the DePauw Classic in Greencastle, Indiana, finishing seventh out of 12 teams.
A number of Emory athletes were honored for their academic achievements, as well as their athletic success, during the 2012-13 indoor season, as Debora Adjibaba, Stephanie Crane and Theresa Ford were each named to the Capital One Academic All-District team.
The Eagles earned the following honors during the 2012-13 season:
All-America |
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Debora Adjibaba |
Chambersburg, PA (Mercersberg Academy) |
60m Dash, 1600m Relay |
Theresa Ford |
Minneapolis, MN (The Blake School) |
Long Jump, High Jump |
Kaele Leonard |
Elmhurst, IL (York Community) |
400m Dash, 1600m Relay |
Alexandra Aiello |
Mentor, OH (Mentor) |
1600m Relay |
Electra Korn |
Woodinville, WA (Eastside Preparatory) |
1600m Relay |
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NCAA Championship Participant |
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Debora Adjibaba |
Chambersburg, PA (Mercersberg Academy) |
60m Dash, 1600m Relay |
Theresa Ford |
Minneapolis, MN (The Blake School) |
Long Jump, High Jump |
Kaele Leonard |
Elmhurst, IL (York Community) |
400m Dash, 1600m Relay |
Alexandra Aiello |
Mentor, OH (Mentor) |
1600m Relay |
Electra Korn |
Woodinville, WA (Eastside Preparatory) |
1600m Relay |
Bridgewater, NJ (Bridgewater-Raritan Regional) |
60m Hurdles |
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USTFCCCA South/ Southeast Coach of the Year |
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John Curtin |
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USTFCCCA South/ Southeast Assistant Coach of the Year |
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Aaron Campbell |
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USTFCCA South/ Southeast Field Athlete of the Year |
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Theresa Ford |
Minneapolis, MN (The Blake School) |
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University Athletic Association (UAA) Most Outstanding Performer |
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Theresa Ford |
Minneapolis, MN (The Blake School) |
Field Events |
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UAA Coaching Staff of the Year |
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Head Coach |
John Curtin |
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Assistant Coaches |
Aaron Campbell, Mark Johnson, Carl Leivers, Pedro Vasquez |
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UAA Champion |
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Debora Adjibaba |
Chambersburg, PA (Mercersberg Academy) |
55m Dash, 200m Dash, 1600m Relay |
Theresa Ford |
Minneapolis, MN (The Blake School) |
Long Jump, High Jump |
Kaele Leonard |
Elmhurst, IL (York Community) |
400m Dash, 1600m Relay |
Alexandra Aiello |
Mentor, OH (Mentor) |
1600m Relay |
Stephanie Crane |
Annapolis, MD (Broadneck) |
800m Run |
Electra Korn |
Woodinville, WA (Eastside Preparatory) |
1600m Relay |
Morgan Monroe |
Bridgewater, NJ (Bridgewater-Raritan Regional) |
55m Hurdles |
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All-UAA (Top-Three Finisher at Conference Championships) |
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Debora Adjibaba |
Chambersburg, PA (Mercersberg Academy) |
55m Dash, 200m Dash, 1600m Relay |
Theresa Ford |
Minneapolis, MN (The Blake School) |
55m Hurdles, Long Jump, High Jump |
Kaele Leonard |
Elmhurst, IL (York Community) |
200m Dash, 400m Dash, 1600m Relay |
Stephanie Crane |
Annapolis, MD (Broadneck) |
800m Run, Mile Run |
Electra Korn |
Woodinville, WA (Eastside Preparatory) |
400m Dash, 1600m Relay |
Alexandra Aiello |
Mentor, OH (Mentor) |
1600m Relay |
Beaverton, OR (Jesuit) |
Pole Vault |
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Morgan Monroe |
Bridgewater, NJ (Bridgewater-Raritan Regional) |
55m Hurdles |
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Capital One/ CoSIDA Academic All-District |
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Debora Adjibaba |
Chambersburg, PA (Mercersberg Academy) |
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Stephanie Crane |
Annapolis, MD (Broadneck) |
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Theresa Ford |
Minneapolis, MN (The Blake School) |
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UAA Athlete of the Week |
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Debora Adjibaba |
Chambersburg, PA (Mercersberg Academy) |
Dec. 3, Mar. 4, Mar. 11 |
Kaele Leonard |
Elmhurst, IL (York Community) |
Jan. 21, Feb. 11, Mar. 4 |
Theresa Ford |
Minneapolis, MN (The Blake School) |
Feb. 4, Feb. 11 |
Alexandra Aiello |
Mentor, OH (Mentor) |
Mar. 4 |
Electra Korn |
Woodinville, WA (Eastside Preparatory) |
Mar. 4 |
Chagrin Falls, OH (Kenston) |
Feb. 18 |
The following were the top marks by Emory athletes during the 2012-13 indoor season:
55m Dash |
Debora Adjibaba |
7.19 |
UAA Championships |
60m Dash |
Debora Adjibaba |
7.71 *E |
NCAA Championships |
200m Dash |
Debora Adjibaba |
25.58 |
UAA Championships |
400m Dash |
Kaele Leonard |
56.94 *E |
UAA Championships |
800m Run |
Stephanie Crane |
2:15.27 *E |
UAA Championships |
3000m Run |
Tamara Surtees |
10:37.96 |
DePauw Classic |
5000m Run |
18:15.89 |
Niswonger Invitational |
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Mile Run |
Stephanie Crane |
5:07.36 |
UAA Championships |
55m Hurdles |
Morgan Monroe |
8.21 |
UAA Championships |
60m Hurdles |
Morgan Monroe |
9.13 |
Emory Crossplex Invitational |
High Jump |
Theresa Ford |
1.69m *E |
NCAA Championships |
Pole Vault |
Elaina Kim |
3.36m |
UAA Championships |
Long Jump |
Theresa Ford |
5.76m *E |
UAA Championships |
Triple Jump |
Camilla Worsfold |
10.37m |
UAA Championships |
Shot Put |
10.74m |
Panther Ice Breaker |
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Weight Throw |
Janay Harris |
11.52m |
Sewanee Invitational |
Indoor Pentathlon |
Theresa Ford |
3,187 pts *E |
Samford Multi & Invitational |
1600m Relay |
Alexandra Aiello, Electra Korn, Debora Adjibaba, Kaele Leonard |
3:51.64 *E |
Tufts Last Chance Meet |
4000m DMR |
Calley Edwards, Alyssa McCready, Julie Williamson, Marissa Gogniat |
12:32.22 |
UAA Championships |
*E – Indicates Emory record