Landover, Md. ? The Robert Morris University women's track and field team put on an impressive performance this past weekend with a sixth place finish at the 2008 Northeast Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships.
Behind individual championship performances from sophomore Melitta Brown (York, Ontario / Sacred Heart) and senior Jordhanna White (West Lawn, Pa. / Wilson), the Colonials were able to collect 55 points en route to their best finish in nearly three years. Monmouth University took home the team title with 123 total points, while Long Island University finished second with 112.50 and Sacred Heart nailed down third with 100.
Brown notched an ECAC and season-best mark of 18'7” on her trek to the long jump title during day one of the championship event. Day two saw Brown capture third place in the triple jump with a distance of 38'1.50”.
White solidified the rights to the 60-meter high hurdles title with a time of 8.95, becoming the first Colonial to win a high hurdles championship since 2001. She also competed in the 60-meter dash, where she set the school record with a preliminary time of 7.88. She finished in fourth during the finals with the same time.
Seniors Brittany DeMudd (Warrensville Heights, Oh. / St. Peter Chanel) and Corina Campbell (Smithburg, Md. / Smithburg) rounded out the Colonials in the 60-meter high hurdles with DeMudd finishing third at 9.30 and Campbell in seventh at 9.50.
Other notable performances came from a mix of veterans and newcomers. Freshman Samantha Simile (Washington, Pa. / Chartiers - Houston) captured sixth place in the 500-meter dash with a time of 1:20.38, while senior Nicole Carter (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Shaler) finished in seventh in the 800-meter dash with a mark of 2:21.58.
Sophomore Erica Schmidt (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Baldwin) sealed the rights to fifth place in the pole vault with a height of 10'6”. Freshman Stephanie Harrison (Duncannon, Pa. / Susquenite) closed out the scoring with a heave of 40'9.50” in the shot put, good enough for eighth place.
The Colonials travel to the LSU Twilight meet on Friday, Feb. 22 for their final tune up before the ECAC Championships in March.
