University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
Mt. SAC Relays
Track & Field Shines At Mt. SAC Relays
04/16/2011 | Women's Track & Field
April 16, 2011
WALNUT, Calif. - Seven members of the Richmond track & field team travel back to Virginia today following an impressive showing at the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif. All of the distance runners set personal bests, while Amy Van Alstine and Nicol Traynor broke the school record in the 5,000m.
"Our athletes ran well," said men's head coach Steve Taylor. "We've known from their workouts and their progression over the past two years that they are capable of running at this level and beyond. I have no doubt they can run even faster.
"These marks put several of our athletes in great position for qualifying for the first round of the NCAA Championships. The NCAA East Region Championships bring together the top 40 athletes in each event, so we have several that have firm marks and a few that are currently on the bubble."
Redshirt senior Amy Van Alstine placed second (16:09.22) in the women's 5,000m Open A. Her time ranks 16th in the NCAA National rankings, fourth in the NCAA East Region, and first in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
Senior Nicol Traynor came in third in the women's 5,000m Open A. Traynor's time of 16:10.37 now ranks 19th in the NCAA, seventh in NCAA East Region, and second in the Atlantic 10.
To view Van Alstine and Traynor's race, click here.
Freshman Jill Prentice came in 17th in the women's 5,000m Open B (16:39.79), currently ranking 89th in the NCAA national rankings, 15th among NCAA freshman, 42nd in the NCAA East Region, ninth for NCAA East Region freshman, and fourth in the Atlantic 10 Conference. To watch Prentice's race, follow the link.
Redshirt-senior Andrew Benford captured second in the men's 5,000m Open A with his time of 13:55.88. His time ranks 22nd in the NCAA, ninth in the NCAA East Region, and first Atlantic 10 Conference.
Redshirt-senior Matt Llano finished eighth overall (14:00.01) in the 5,000m Open A, and currently ranking ranks as 41st in the NCAA, 17th in the NCAA East Region, and second in the Atlantic 10.
To watch Benford and Llano's race, click here.
Freshman Ryan Lee also placed 17th in the men's 5,000m Open D with a time of 14:33.61. His time ranks 199th in the NCAA National Ranking, 41st among NCAA freshmen, 106th in the East Region, 21st for NCAA East Region freshmen, and sixth in the Atlantic 10 Conference. To view Lee's race, follow the link.
Senior Heather Roush came in 17th in the javelin throw competition with a mark of 42.40m and 24th in the discus with a mark of 43.05m.
"Our team ran really well," said women's head coach Lori Taylor. "Congratulations to Amy and Nicol for breaking the school record in the 5,000m and to each of our distance runners for their excellent effort. They performed and represented our program extremely well. We're proud of their efforts and believe they can and will run even faster."
"These performances, for our men and women, validate the University of Richmond as a top destination and college choice for those wanting to earn an exceptional education and compete at the highest level," said Steve Taylor.
Stay tuned to RichmondSpiders.com for complete coverage of this weekend's meet. For more in-depth coverage, visit Coach Taylor's blog, or follow him on Twitter.
