WILLIAMSBURG — On the opening day of the outdoor season, William & Mary track and field posted 19 total event wins, three top-10 performances in program history and a freshman record at the Dan Stimson Memorial Meet.
Junior Emily Ervin and sophomore Jason Nwosu led the way as triple winners, while senior Megan Heidebrecht claimed two events.
Freshman Elizabeth Strobach turned in the best performance of the day in winning the pole vault. The Tribe rookie became just the third woman in program history to clear 13 feet and posted a mark of 3.97m (13-0.25). It was a new freshman record and the third-best vault in school history.
Ervin won both the 200m and 400m dashes on Saturday. He posted a 56.25 in the 400m, before running 24.43 in the 200m. With her 200m effort, Ervin now owns half of the top-14 times in the event in school history.
Ervin teamed with freshman Jamison Gilmore, junior Clare Howard and freshman Evelyn Brantley in winning the 4x400m relay as well.
Nwosu won the hammer throw, shot put and discus. In the shot put, he uncorked a toss of 17.20m, which was a career-best and the fourth-best mark in school history. Nwosu also recorded a career-best of 50.65m in the hammer throw, which is 16th on the program’s all-time list.
Heidebrecht started the spring season strong by winning both the long jump and triple jump. She posted a leap of 5.54m to win the long jump and 11.91m to win the triple jump. Her triple jump mark, while not a career-best, was the 13th-best performance in program history.
Junior Luke Ellwood and freshman Jacob Robinson posted top-10 performances in school history on the way to winning their events. Ellwood won the 2000m steeplechase in a time of 6:02.71, which was the sixth-best time in school history. Robinson posted the fifth-best 200m time at 21.61.
On the women’s side, sophomore Catherine Garrison (2000m steeplechase), senior Kyra Holland (1500m), freshman Becca Harkness (800m), Howard (400m hurdles), junior Arianna DeBoer (3000m), and fifth-year Keeley Suzenski (hammer throw) recorded victories.
Freshmen Raiden Lafortune and Brian Walsh added victories on the men’s side, winning the javelin and pole vault, respectively. Lafortune’s throw of 57.5m ranks 14th in school history.
Along with Strobach’s record-setting performance, senior Elizabeth Upright turned in the 10th-best pole vault mark in school history at 3.72m to finish second in the event.
On the men’s side, junior Gabriel Albers and freshman David Seekford posted top-15 efforts in school history in their respective events. Albers was second in the 110m hurdles, running a 15.32, which is the 15th-best mark in school history. Seekford posted a 55.03 in the 400m hurdles to finish second. His time ranks 13th in school history.
Up Next
The Tribe is back in action at the Fred Hardy Invitational on Friday, March 22.
