Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

TRACK AND FIELD | Last-Chance Meets Give Hoyas a Final Opportunity

Fresh off the Big East indoor track and field championship — where the women finished first and the men placed eighth — several Georgetown track and field athletes will compete in two last-chance meets this weekend.

The Hoyas will send the men’s distance medley relay team and the women’s 4×400 meter team to the meet at Notre Dame. The men’s team is composed of junior Bobby Peavey, sophomore Hansel Akers, graduate student Toby Ulm and sophomore Andrew Springer will represent the Blue and Gray. They will be joined by senior London Finley, junior Amanda Kimbers, sophomore Deseree King and junior Tenille Stoudenmire, who will compete for the Georgetown women.

The Blue and Gray are also sending a contingent of mile, 3000m and middle-distance runners, as well as triple jumper Eghosa Aghayere, to New York City.

“We put in two really good weeks of training,” Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Patrick Henner said. “Our emphasis every year is to be ready to run our very best at the end of outdoor season, [so] I think the [athletes] will be ready to run this weekend.”

As the name implies, last-chance meets provide a final opportunity for athletes to record a time that automatically qualifies them for the national championship. Henner has another purpose, however.

“We’ve got some relays and a couple other people who are trying to get an NCAA qualifying time,” Henner said. “But the rest of them are just trying to improve to get ready for the outdoor [season].”

From the athletes who aren’t competing this weekend, Henner is hoping for a competitive effort in the national championship, which is set to begin on March 9 in Idaho.

“We just want to be in contention,” Henner said. “We want each relay member to be in contention, to run hard and compete well. … If we do that, we’ll be happy. All we can ask is to be competing with the best teams in the country.”

The women’s DMR team, which has already set a school record and Big East championship record this year, should compete with the best in the country.

“We feel our DMR should be right up there with some of the top teams like Oregon and Washington,” Henner said. “The anchor for Washington has been running really wel. l… But [junior] Emily Infeld is a big-time athlete as well.”

Although they do have high hopes for some parts of the squad, Georgetown probably finds it disappointing that Springer will likely fall short of qualifying for nationals. The sophomore is coming off of a strong second-place finish in the 3000m event in the Big East championship where he — along with first-place finisher and Providence senior David McCarthy — broke the previous championship record.

“Since the 3000m run is one of the very last events [at nationals], it’s one of the tougher ones to qualify for,” Henner said. “But Springer is going to run the DMR, and they’ve got a great shot at [qualifying].”

While Henner is still basking in the team’s success at the Big East championship, the coach and his team have focused their attention on nationals and the outdoor season.

“It’s nice to see our hard work come to fruition,” Henner said. “But we still want to keep getting better.”

Leave a Comment
Donate to The Hoya

Your donation will support the student journalists of Georgetown University. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.

More to Discover
Donate to The Hoya

Comments (0)

All The Hoya Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *