Indiana women’s track and field had its first meet of the outdoor season in Raleigh, North Carolina, from Thursday to Saturday. Coming off a one-week break from competition after the conclusion of the indoor schedule, the Hoosiers were ready to get back on the track.
Indiana sent only sprinters, distance-runners and one pole vault athlete to this past weekend’s relays. The Hoosiers’ jumpers and throwers did not compete.
In the only field event the Hoosiers competed in at the invitational, senior Anna Watson took on the pole vault invitational. After competing against 10 athletes, Watson finished in fourth place overall with a height of 4.00 meters.
The women’s 5000-meter run saw 151 athletes compete in the race, including senior Bailey Hertenstein, senior Sarah Schmitt, sophomore Mariah Wehrle, sophomore Mikaela Ramirez, senior Ana Barrott, sophomore Phoebe Bates and sophomore Alyssa Skorge for Indiana.
In the same event, Hertenstein finished in seventh place with a time of 15:49.94. Schmitt followed closely behind Hertenstein and finished in 11th place with a time of 15:59.41 and took home a new personal record. Wehrle finished in 24th with a time of 16:25.43.
Related: [Indiana men’s track and field kicks off outdoor season in North Carolina at Raleigh Relays]
Ramirez and Barrott both gained new personal records in the 500-meter run with times of 16:43.21 and 16:40.09, respectively. Ramirez finished in 35th place and Barrott came in 56th. Bates and Skorge rounded out the Hoosiers’ placements in the event by finishing in 104th and 112th with times of 17:10.70 and 17:15.28, respectively.
In the women’s 1500-meter run, senior Jenna Barker led the Hoosiers with a time of 4:23.42 and finished in 29th. Senior Hannah Stoffel finished closely behind in 33rd with a time of 4:24.81. Graduate student Kelly Mindak knocked down a personal record with a time of 4:28.94 and placed 62nd. Senior Maddie Dalton rounded out the Hoosiers by finishing in 120th with a time of 4:35.68. Almost 200 athletes competed in the event.
In the women’s 200-meter dash, junior Alyssa Robinson and sophomore Morgan Snow competed for the Hoosiers. Robinson finished in first place with a time of 23.92 seconds. Robinson was unable to compete at the Indoor Big Ten Championships back on Feb. 25-26, ending her indoor season abruptly and leaving her with some unfinished business.
“I was really hoping to get back on the track since I was not able to run at Big Tens,” Robinson said. “I really just wanted to get a race in, have a good starting point and hopefully I’m working my way down the rest of the season.”
Snow also had a successful performance in the 200-meter dash, running a new personal best time of 24.39 seconds to finish in 10th place overall out of almost 100 athletes.
Robinson carried over her success in the women’s 400-meter dash, taking home fourth place with a time of 54.68. Junior Lauren Thomas came in 17th with a time of 55.90 seconds, and junior Maria Anderson finished in 26th with a time of 56.54 seconds. Snow rounded out the Hoosiers in the 400-meter dash with a 39th place finish and a time of 57.20.
In the women’s 800-meter run, Anderson led Indiana with a 21st-place finish with a time of 2:09.64.
Stoffel followed closely behind with a time of 2:10.94 for a 30th-place finish. Freshman Elizabeth Stanhope finished in 39th place with a time of 2:11.85. Sophomore Shynae Deas finished in 81st place with a time of 2:15.26, and Barker came close behind with a time of 2:15.44 to come in 85th place. Mindak rounded out the Hoosiers in the event by finishing in 96th with a time of 2:16.39.
Indiana will next compete in the Florida Relays from April 1-2 in Gainesville, Florida.
