University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
Maryland Invitational
Track & Field Starts 2014 Off Strong In Maryland
01/18/2014 | Women's Track & Field
LANDOVER, Md. - Spider track and field began its 2014 campaign with a hard fought eighth-place finish at the Maryland Invitational in Landover, Md.
“Mary winning the 400 was great,” said head women's track and field coach Lori Taylor. “I am very pleased with how these women ran today. After being away from school on break for a few weeks they really came back and worked hard to be ready for today.”
Sophomore Mary Allen led the way for the Spiders, claiming a first-place finish in the 400m with a time of 58.06. Fellow sophomore Jade Gregory also ran well in the 400m, taking 10th (1:00.96).
In her first appearance of the indoor season, Marisa Ruskan continued her fantastic freshman campaign by clocking a time of 10:10.75 in the 3000m run, which earned her a second-place finish. Freshmen Maddie Wittich and Emma Nowak took 10th and 12th in the 3000m run, posting times of 10:35.39 and 10:43.35.
Juniors Deborah Fajuyigbe and Amber Young got the upperclassmen on the board with two top 15 finishes in the 300m dash. Fajuyigbe took 12th with a time of 42.43, while Young took 15th, crossing the finish line at 42.92. Freshman Natishka Johnson also ran in the 300m dash, finishing with a time of 45.11 (24th).
Fajuyigbe then ran in the 200m dash, claiming fourth-place and finishing in 26.38.
Displaying her versatility, sophomore Janel Francis posted three top-10 finishes throughout the day. Francis started off her day by taking fifth in the long jump with a distance of 5.27m. Then, Francis snuck her way into the finals for the 60m dash, managing to claim eighth-place (8.22). Rounding out her great day was the 200m dash, which she was able to take seventh, posting a time of 26.96.
The Spiders track and field team will be back in action next weekend, when they head to Blacksburg, Va. for the Hokie Invitational.
Stay updated on all the latest Richmond Track and Field news on RichmondSpiders.com and by accessing Spider Athletics' mobile apps on your Smartphone or tablet. More in-depth coverage can be found by following Head CoachSteve Taylor on Twitter and by reading his blog. The Spiders also have their own Facebook page and have launched their own YouTube Channel as well.
Players Mentioned
