Graney, Morelli, Endres Win Colonial Relays Titles

Anderson, Graney Both Qualify to Regionals

04/04/08 10:45PM

WILLIAMSBURG - William and Mary’s women’s track and field team used a strong start and strong finish to the day Friday to end the first day of the Colonial Relays with an imposing 26-point lead over Seton Hall, 68-42.

Complete First Day Results

The day’s first event, the women’s hammer, was won by Michigan State’s Meagan Halliwill with a very strong 186’ 3”, which qualified her for the NCAA Regional, and Kayla Herron from St. Francis (Pa.) took second with a ECAC-qualifying throw of 171’ 5”. William and Mary junior Abby Lemon (Berryville, Va.) reset her own school record by more than three feet, throwing 167’ 7” to take the bronze medal and qualify for the ECAC Championships.

Freshman Betsy Graney (Harper Woods, Mich.) won the 3,000m steeplechase with a Regional-qualifying time of 10:46.11, breaking the freshman record she set last week at Richmond and ranking fourth all-time at the College. Arwyn Becker from Navy was second, just shy of the regional standard in 10:50.95, and Elizabeth Calle of Yale took third in 10:53.09. Both women, along wih Graney, qualified for the ECAC Championships.

Michigan State’s Lisa Senakiewich use a strong closing kick to take the 1,500m crown in 4:21.69, easily surpassing the Regional qualifier. William and Mary sophomore Emily Anderson (Golf, Ill.) also qualified for the Regional with her personal-best effort of 4:26.87, which ranks her fourth in school history. Emily MacLeod of Michigan State took third with a time of 4:29.15.

Jackie Walton of Michigan State is the top seed for tomorrow’s finals of the 100m hurdles after qualifying for the NCAA Regional with her preliminary time of 13.79. Seton Hall teammates Janeille Brathwaite and Imani Gilliam ran 14.34 and 14.36, respectively, as both qualified for the ECAC Championships.

Monmouth University swept the top three spots in the women’s javelin, as Tiffany Hahn claimed gold with an ECAC-qualifying throw of 133’ 9”. Tia Testa was second with a throw of 127’ 3”, and Mary Wilks took third with a best mark of 126’ 3”.

In the 400m dash, George Mason’s Tiara Swindell ran 55.38 for the championship in an ECAC-qualifying turn. Seton Hall’s Toneisha Friday was second in 55.99 and Georgetown’s Abigail Johnson finished third in 56.34, both of which were also ECAC-qualifying efforts.

Michigan State’s Erica Mann is the top seed in the finals of the 0m dash after qualifying in 11.95 seconds, well ahead of Virginia Commonwealth’s Danyelle Barnes, who qualified for the ECAC Championships with her time of 12.08 seconds. Seton Hall’s Adama Pitts ran the third-best time of the day, 12.14 seconds.

ECAC qualifiers were the rule of the day in the long jump, which was won by Seton Hall’s Shakia Forbes in 19’ 6.25”. Katelyn Guerierre of James Madison was second with a jump of 19’ 3.5”, and Delaware’s Asha Quant won bronze with her jump of 19’ 2.75”.

Georgetown’s Joanna Rodgers qualified for the ECAC Championships with her title-winning turn of 2:10.37 in the 800m dash. Teammate Maggie Infeld was second in 2:10.55, and William and Mary’s Allie Lewis (Roanoke, Va.) finished third in 2:11.91.

Seton Hall swept the 400m hurdles, earning three trips to ECACs and two NCAA Regional berths along the way. Jernail Hayes won in 58.75 seconds, with Janeille Braithwaite also punching her ticket for the regional in 1:00.77. Alexandra McCoy was third in 1:01.38.

The women’s 200m dash could very well be a preview of the CAA Championships, which will be held at William and Mary in two weeks. Tanique Carter of James Madison was the winner today in 24.08 seconds, with George Mason’s Tiara Swindell close behind in 24.22 seconds. Delaware’s Cristine Marquez took third in 24.49, as all three ladies qualified for the ECAC Championships.

William and Mary junior Lynn Morelli (Philadelphia, Pa.) outkicked the field over the final lap of the 5,000m run, claiming gold in an ECAC-qualifying time of 17:05.45. Cortland State’s Alanna Hollborn was second, qualifying provisionally for the Division III National Championships with her time of 17:07.66. Tribe senior Emily Gousen (Arlington, Va.) finished third and also qualified for ECACs in 17:10.95.

After retaking the lead in the 5,000m, the College stretched it with a dominating performance in the 10,000m run. Senior Katie Endres (Sterling, Va.) won the championship medal in 37:40.30, only three-tenths of a second off of qualifying for the ECAC Championships. Sophomore Rachel Ohm (West Coxsackie, N.Y.) was second across the line in 39:14.87, and Pitt’s Monica Bhattacharjee finished third in 41:02.67.

The Relays conclude tomorrow with six relay championships, the finals of the 100m dash and 100m hurdles, and five field events. Live Results throughout the day can be found on the Internet at http://www.tribeathletics.com/6652/.

Colonial Relays – Team Standings After Day One
1. WILLIAM AND MARY 68
2. Seton Hall 42
3. Michigan State 36
4. Georgetown 35
5. James Madison 28
6. Monmouth 24
7. George Mason 18
8. Navy 15
T9. St. Francis (Pa.) 14
T9. Delaware 14
11. Yale 9
T12. Cortland State 8
T12. Pittburgh 8
14. Virginia Commonwealth 6
15. Saint Joseph’s 5
16. Howard 4
17. Mount St. Mary’s 3
18. Fordham 1