Moon Township, Pa. – The
Robert Morris University track & field team had its final competition prior to the 2018 Northeast Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships by competing in the Red Flash Open Saturday in Loretto, Pa.
A trio of Colonials claimed gold for the Colonials, including freshman
Hanne Claus, who finished first in both the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes. Sophomore
Anna Chasovskaia won the 400-meter dash, while freshman
Estelle Katende claimed gold in the discus.
Claus crossed the finish line in a time of 12.29 seconds in the 100-meter dash to outlast Jameela Buchanan of Mount St. Mary's, who finished second at 12.52. Rounding out the top five in the field were Monica Lohmann of the host Red Flash (12.81), Halle Bovell of Duquesne (12.88) and Anna Lohmann of Saint Francis U (13.06).
The time for Claus ranks fourth in the RMU outdoor record book and, once again, is the top mark for RMU in the last 20 years. Each of the top three marks by a Robert Morris student-athlete were accomplished in the early 1990s.
In the 200-meter dash, Claus recorded a time of 25.16 seconds, finishing ahead of Kel-Lisa Sebwe of Duquesne (25.75) and Jameela Buchanan of Mount St. Mary's (25.88). The mark for Claus ranks second in the event in the RMU outdoor track & field record book, trailing only the time of 24.75 seconds that she produced in her collegiate debut at the Vertklasse Meeting.
RESULTS: Red Flash Open (4/28/18)
The performances by Claus in both the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes established facility records in both events. The old mark of 12.46 seconds in the 100-meter dash was held by Jessica Whitmore, while the mark of 25.53 in the 200-meter dash was originally established in 2007 by Brittni Smallwood.
Chasovskaia finished first in the 400-meter dash by recording a time of 59.35 seconds, outlasting her teammate, freshman
Sami Felton, who earned silver with a time of 1:00.49.
In the discus, Katende won the event with a toss of 43.42 meters, which qualified her for the ECAC Championships and was almost four meters longer than the student-athlete who finished in second place.
In the long jump, senior
Tricia Panos established a personal record in the long jump with a leap of 5.42 meters. The distance helped her finish second in the event at the Red Flash Open.
The 2018 NEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships will be hosted by Mount St. Mary's and take place Saturday, May 5, and Sunday, May 6, in Emmitsburg, Md.
