BOSTON, Mass. & MIDDLETOWN, Conn. - The Coast Guard Academy women's track & field team was split up between two meets today, competing at UMass Lowell's River Hawk Invite at the TRACK at New Balance and Wesleyan's (Conn.) Indoor Invitational. Both meets saw several athletes move up the program's all-time lists with their performances.
River Hawk Invite
Distance runners Paige Phillips (Wilmington, N.C.) and Claire Semerod (Centennial, Colo.) established new no. 2 and no. 3 performances in the 3,000 meters, respectively. Phillips ran a 9:45.83 for third place at the meet, while Semerod posted a 9:59.53 for tenth. On a national level, Phillips' time jumps her up to the top five amongst all Division III athletes.
Also highlighting the distance events was junior Lauren Mellon (Falls Church, Va.), who clocked an 18:03.67 in the 5000 meters to place ninth. Freshman Brooke Hunter (Phillipsburg, N.J.) finished 18th in the same event with an 18:42.90.
Senior Sophia White (Gurley, Ala.) became the new Academy record holder in the 1,000-meter run, placing 12th after running a 2:57.74; the previous record was held by Anita Green '19, who ran a 2:58.97. Also running well in the mid-distance events was fellow senior Riley Thorburn (Chelsea, Mich.), who ran a 2:22.92 in the 800 meters.
As for sprints, sophomore Ella Besant (Morehead, Ky.) was 19th in the 400-meter dash, running a collegiate personal best of 59.42. Senior Grace Flynn (Severna Park, Md.) also set a personal record on the day with her 26.24 in the 200-meter dash.
Finally, in the 4x400, the team of Besant, Flynn, freshman Millie Wymbs (Salisbury, N.C.), and junior Tara Jessen (Signal Mountain, Tenn.) placed 11th overall after running 4:06.39.
Wesleyan Indoor Invite
Back in Connecticut, the Bears had a pair of strong showings in the throwing events. Senior Maureen Hammond (Downington, Pa.) was runner-up in the shot put, throwing 11.60 meters (38' 7.5"). Fellow senior Jacey Tippman (Venice, Fla.) was sixth in the weight throw with a toss of 11.84 meters (38' 10").
Senior Madelyn Greene (Chesapeake Beach, Md.) was runner-up in the triple jump and qualified for the New England DIII Championship with a mark of 10.67 meters (35'). Junior Mollie Brinker (Wilmington, N.C.) and senior Sarah Katz (Oak Park, Ill.) placed first and third, respectively, with Brinker clearing 3.10 meters (10' 2") and Katz' getting over 2.65 meters (8' 8.25"). Kaylee Wright (Plainwell, Mich.) was fourth in the long jump with a mark of 4.95 meters (16' 3").
On the track, freshman Thuy Nguyen (Camden, N.C.) was runner-up in the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:04.53. Senior Margarita Hillon (Seattle, Wash.) was the event winner for the 3000-meter run after crossing the finish in 11:52.93.
Coast Guard is back in competition next Friday, heading back to Boston, Massachusetts, for Boston University's John Thomas Terrier Classic.
