Scott BresslerThe Lady Bears took the track by storm to take the UAA Outdoor Championship title, while the men’s team took fourth.
“It was so great because Chicago beat us in indoor [UAA conference championships],” junior Alli Alberts said. “We hadn’t lost conference in such a long time. It felt great beating Chicago on their home turf.”
Wash. U.’s women’s squad retained its title for the eighth straight year. “We haven’t lost ever,” junior Danielle Wadlington said. “Everybody was focused and organized.”
Wadlington was everywhere, leading the way for the Red and Green by taking the UAA title in the triple jump and the 100-meter hurdles. Wadlington automatically qualified for nationals in the triple jump with a 12.02 meter final and had a provisional qualifying time of 14.91 in the hurdles. Wadlington also placed third in the 100-meter dash and second in the 200-meter dash.
“She scored around 50 points by herself and placed in the top three in the events she ran,” Alberts said. “If they let her warm up for other events, she could have scored even more points.”
Alberts took first in the javelin throw with a final toss of 36.53 meter, which set a new Haydon track record. Alberts also took second in the high jump after a tough jump off. “It was more about scoring team points,” Alberts said.
Classmate Caitlin Molloy took the UAA title in the 400-meter hurdles while sophomore Allison Lee finished third in the same event. Junior Jessica Lane took second in the pole vault, falling in a jump off with the eventual UAA champion from Emory.
Wash. U. excelled in distance and team events taking first in the 4×800 and 4×400 relays. The 4×800 relay squad was made up of freshman Vie Duncan, sophomores Kate Gallagher and Molly Schlamb and senior Angela Hartman. The 4×400 squad was composed of juniors Erika Wade and Wadlington, Schlamb, and Hartman.
Senior Tyler Mulkin took first while classmate Kate Pentak took fourth in the 10,000-meter run. Mulkin also took second in the 5,000-meter run, provisionally qualifying for nationals in both events.
Senior Abbey Hartmann provisionally qualified with a second-place finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 11:11.46. Freshman Taryn Surtees came in third with a season-best time of 11:16.64.
Hartmann also finished second in the 1,500-meter run with classmate Lisa Sudmeier coming in third. Schlamb took second in the 800-meter run with Sudmeier finishing a close third.
Junior Tanner Coghill powered to a first-place finish in the 400-meter hurdles, provisionally qualifying for nationals with a time of 53.22.
Freshman Scott Pettit took the men’s pole vault while classmate Ben Harmon won the long jump. Harmon provisionally qualified with his 7.08-meter jump. “It felt great to come out in outdoors and show that I can take conference,” Pettit said. Pettit finished third in Indoor UAA Championships.
Sophomore Keith England took second in the javelin throw; classmate Iboro Umana was runner-up in the 400-meter dash and senior Jesse McDaniel finished third in the 5,000-meter run. The 4×400 relay squad also took second.
“We left it all on the track,” Pettit said.
The Bears will compete at the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Cougar Open on Saturday.