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 | Sprinters Compete in Final Tune-Up Before Big East

The Georgetown track and field team built on its momentum from a strong performance at the Penn State Nationals when it travelled to the Armory in New York City last weekend for the New Balance Invitational. A slew of sprinters earned more qualifying times at their last meet before the looming Big East championship in two weeks.

The Hoyas continued to benefit from impressive results from their women’s team. Juniors Amanda Kimbers and Tenille Stoudenmire dropped their times in the 200-meter dash to 24.25 seconds and 24.36s, respectively. Stoudenmire also anchored the women’s 4x400m relay team that won the event with a time of 3:42.80.

“Both Kimbers and [Stoudenmire] are ready to run really well at the Big East [championship],” Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Patrick Henner said.

Meanwhile, sophomore Deseree King recorded her personal record in the 400m with a time of 56.55s, and senior London Finley, in her first open 400m run of the year, ran her best time ever at 55.11s.

The men’s team, while still solid, has some work to do before the Big East championship. Sophomore Hansel Akers and senior Austin Perron were looking to run on the low side of 49s but ended up with times of 49.27s and 49.41, respectively. Still, Henner is optimistic about the pair going forward.

“Hansel is in great shape,” Henner said. “I think he got a little bit tired and didn’t recover. He’s got to be more aggressive. At the break, he’s letting guys get in front of him, and it’s very difficult to get back in front of them again. In two weeks, he’ll be ready to go.”

Perron’s case is slightly different, as he’s recovering from some minor injuries earlier this year.

“Austin came back and did a great job in the 4×4 later [in the meet],” Henner said. “I’m very pleased with him coming off of his injury.”

The men’s hurdlers, meanwhile, have the unfortunate luck of competing in one of the toughest hurdling conferences in the country. Big East hurdlers have steadily improved over the past few years and currently include one of the best in the country in graduate student Jarret Eaton of Syracuse.

Georgetown’s hurdlers were also somewhat disappointing. The Hoyas were aiming to finish in eight seconds flat, but junior Justin Crawford, senior Biyerem Okengwu and senior Kamryn Austin managed times of 8.15s, 8.24s and 8.18s, respectively.

“Their times are coming down a little bit,” Henner said. “Justin is a lot better than [his performance] … Biyerem ran a great race, but hit hurdles four and five. I think in the next two weeks we can move forward and get to 8s flat.”

Georgetown has been making progress heading toward the Big East championship, but in order to be competitive in two weeks, they must improve at a quicker pace.

“On the women’s side, we can be really competitive, and we have a great shot at [winning]. On the men’s side, we’ve got our work cut out for us, and we’re going to need some great individual races to be [competitive].”

Unfortunately for the Hoyas, freshman Tyler Smith, whom Henner thought could put up some points in the Big East championship, will not compete in the meet. However, he will likely be back in action for the outdoor track season. Graduate student Toby Ulm, who has been battling injury all year, will be available to run — but likely not at full strength.

“I’m feeling really good about where the women are,” Henner said. “On the men’s side, we’re not really where I’d like to be. But we’re just going to have to step up to get anything done.”

Even though the sprinters have finished competing before the Big East championship, the rest of the team looks to complete their final preparations on opposite coasts this weekend. The distance runners will fly to Seattle to compete in the Washington Husky Classic, while the middle-distance runners travel to Boston for the BU Valentine Invitational.

Graduate students TC Lumbar and Alex Lundy will join juniors Andrew Springer and Emily Jones at the Husky Classic for what is shaping up to be a very competitive distance event.

“It’s got a big track and fast fields, so hopefully they’ll get in a good competitive situation and get some fast times in,” Henner said. “They’re all ready to run really well.”

The entries for the meet in Boston have not yet been finalized, but Henner is excited about the opportunity at the BU event, as Georgetown looks forward to a strong showing from its 800m and mile runners.

“I think it should be a good race,” Henner said. “We’re ready to knock off some big times.”

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