After breaking a number of records at the Boston Terrier Invitational two weeks ago, the only way the Knights could follow up that performance was to travel to Syracuse University and do it again.
At the Syracuse Invitational at Manley Field House, Geneseo had several outstanding performances that broke school records and took first-place honors. With senior Sandra Goettelman's first-place finish in the women's one-mile run and sophomore Wenley Louis' NCAA-qualifying triple jump distance, the Knights left a lasting impression against a number of teams.
According to head coach Dave Prevosti, the team has shown tremendous heart throughout this year, despite the pressures and commitments to their academic lives. "This team has improved by leaps and bounds," he said, pointing to Goettelman as an example. "She won the competition despite having her training affected by the demands of her student teaching. She dug deep, just like this team has all season."
Goettelman, who finished with a time of 5 minutes, 8 seconds, was not the only Geneseo athlete to turn heads with an impressive performance at the competition, which was laced with Division I talent. Senior Pat Gallagher finished second in the 500-meter dash with a time of 1:05.51, breaking his own school record.
Freshman Rachel Serpe took fifth place in the pole vault competition with a distance of 3.10 meters, and, like Gallagher, broke her own Geneseo record. Serpe was honored with Student-Athlete of the Week honors for her efforts at Manley.
Louis, who is currently ranked second in Division III track in the nation for the triple jump, finished with a distance of 14.56 meters. This jump landed him a provisional qualification to the NCAA meet at the end of the season. His latest jump has made his teammates take notice of his outstanding ability.
"There was a lot of personal bests this week," junior captain Maria Barbaglia said. "This type of output just displays the type of talent that is on this team. We have worked very hard this season and it shows. Our performance this season has put us in a positive position for the upcoming SUNYACs in the upcoming weeks."
The conference meet will take place Feb. 27 at Hobart College, but this weekend the team will travel to Cornell University for another away competition.