University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
CNU Vince Brown Invitational
Spider Track & Field Continues Strong Indoor Season At CNU
02/09/2015 | Women's Track & Field
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The University of Richmond Spiders track and field team saw great success at the CNU Vince Brown Invitational this weekend.
"This was a weekend for our athletes to try new events and for some of our younger, less experienced athletes and those returning from illness or injury to have the opportunity to compete,” head coach Lori Taylor said. “Liz Montague set a PR in the 60H, Janel Francis had a season best in the triple jump, Marisa Ruskan winning the Mile leading a good showing by the team, Kaelyn Heinicke's double in the mile and 800M and Tara Hanley's win in the 3K were notable. With the Atlantic 10 Indoor Championships just around the corner, we need to continue the progression we've seen the past three weeks and bring it all together in Rhode Island.”
Junior Janel Francis started the meet with a personal best in the triple jump, at a distance of 11.46 meters. Liz Montague, who usually competes alongside Francis in the triple jump, instead ran the 60 meter hurdles this weekend, placing second in the event in a season best 9.20 seconds.
The Spiders also achieved top performances in the mile. Marisa Ruskan took the win in 5:03.07, while Kelly Bailey placed fifth and Emily Graber clocked in at eighth.
Freshman Kaelyn Heinicke excelled in her first two races of the season. She placed fourth in the mile, but didn't stop there. Later, Heinicke's 800 meter race earned her second place with a time of 2:20.61.
Junior Tara Hanley also saw success in the distance events, winning the 3k by 30 seconds, in a time of 10:27.10.
On the men's side, after winning the 1,000M last weekend at the GMU Invitational, Matthew Groff won the Mile in 4:15.83 at CNU.
"Matthew Groff had a great run to win the Mile," Steve Taylor said. "The pace slowed in the middle but he took control and pulled away from the field. It's great to see him racing so well as a senior."
Next week, the Spiders will compete for the last time before the Atlantic 10 Indoor Championships. They will head to New Jersey and Boston to compete in both the Monmouth and Valentine Invitationals.
For all the latest news and coverage on Richmond Track and Field, be sure to go to RichmondSpiders.com.
More in-depth coverage can be found by following head coach Steve Taylor on Twitter and by reading his blog. The Spiders also have their own Facebook and Instagram pages and have also launched their own YouTube Channel.
Players Mentioned
