Moon Township, Pa. – The RMU track & field team opened its 2021 outdoor season Saturday by finishing third at the Carnegie Mellon Invitational at Gesling Stadium.
Slippery Rock claimed the team championship with 202.83 points, followed by Duquesne (180.66) and the Colonials (103). The University of Pittsburgh (91) and the host Tartans (68.50) round out the field.
A total of four student-athletes from RMU claimed individual championships to open the 2021 outdoor season, each coming in the field.
Senior
Yessie Valencia earned gold in the discus, unleashing a toss of 47.67 meters (156'5") that established a new Gesling Stadium record. The previous mark of 47.55 meters had stood since 2005. Valencia now ranks second in program history in the discus.
Senior
Estelle Katende won silver in the discus (43.97 meters) and also won the individual title in the shot put thanks to a throw of 13.37 meters (43'10.50"). Katende outlasted Laurel Kun of Pitt, who finished second at 13.04 meters (42'9.50").
Also in the throws, junior
Keturah Hunter finished first in the hammer throw, recording a distance of 55.09 meters (180'9"). Hunter is just the third student-athlete in program history for the Colonials to post a toss of 180 feet or more in the hammer throw, joining Nicole Downing (2001-05) and Gabriella Rinehart (2007-09).
RESULTS: Carnegie Mellon Invitational (3/27/21)
Valencia claimed silver in the hammer at 50.51 meters (165'8"), while Katende placed fourth at 43.60 meters (143'00"). Also in the event for the Colonials, sophomore
Alijah Caul posted a throw of 36.93 meters (121'2") and junior
Taylor Mears finished at 34.00 meters (111'6").
In the jumps, senior
Kaitlyn Hawkins won the individual championship in the pole vault at 3.35 meters (10'11.75").
Also snagging medalist honors for RMU at the Carnegie Mellon Invitational was junior
Tara Gologram and sophomore
Elicia Moore. Gologram earned silver in the long jump thanks to a leap of 5.27 meters (17'3.50"), while Moore earned bronze in the 400-meter hurdles at 1:06.38.
In addition to Moore's exploits on the track for RMU, senior
Martha Gardner finished fifth in the 1,500-meter with a time of 4:54.27, while freshman
Gracie Parker finished fifth in both the 100-meter dash and the 100-meter hurdles. The rookie posted times of 12.90 and 15.07 seconds, respectively.
The Colonials make the first of two trips to Morgantown, W.Va., during the 2021 outdoor season Friday, April 2, for the WVU Open at the Track & Field at Mylan Park in their next competition.
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