The Geneseo men’s and women’s track and field teams concluded their regular seasons with split meets at the University of Pennsylvania Penn Relays on Thursday April 25 and at the St. John Fisher College Cardinal Classic on Saturday April 27.
The Penn Relays featured mostly Division I teams and showcased some of the most talented collegiate runners across the country. Despite the heightened competition for the Knights, the small contingent of runners that Geneseo sent elevated their game and posted several nationally-ranked times in Division III this season.
“The runners that we sent to the Penn Relays did phenomenal,” head coach Dave Prevosti said. “They were never intimidated by the Division I competition and they stepped up and proved that they belonged at that meet.”
Graduate student Alyssa Smith became Geneseo’s first-ever individual champion at the Penn Relays winning the 3,000-meter steeplechase over Division I athletes with a time of 10 minutes, 32.02 seconds. The time was a personal best, as well as the fastest for the steeplechase in Division III this season.
Junior Allison Hoh finished the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:02.52, tied for the 11th fastest time in Division III this season.
On the men’s side, senior Alex Brimstein posted the 10th fastest time in Division III in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 14:27.23.
Hoh said she believes that these performances bode well and the runners are peaking at just the right time.
“All of the hard work and training that [the runners] have put in throughout indoor and into the outdoor season is really starting to pay off, especially now that the SUNYAC championships are coming up,” Hoh said.
At the nonscoring Cardinal Classic, the men’s and women’s teams took advantage of the optimal weather conditions and posted a combined 37 top-10 finishes.
Hoh followed up her performance at the Penn Relays with another strong showing, posting a victory in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.85 seconds. Sophomore Keira Wood recorded a victory as well in the 800-meter run with at time of 2:13.87. The top finisher for the men’s team was sophomore Billy Gabriel, placing second in the 800-meter run clocking in at 1:56.23.
For many of the Knights, the Cardinal Classic served as a tune-up for the long awaited outdoor SUNYAC championship while for others it marked their last chance to qualify for the last meet of the year at SUNY Cortland on Friday May 3.
Prevosti said that he felt that the seniors and upperclassmen will set the tone for the championship meet this weekend and make the 2013 outdoor season “a memorable one.”