Moon Township, Pa. – The RMU women's track & field team had its final tune up of the indoor season Saturday before the 2023 #HLTF Indoor Championships, competing in the SPIRE Indoor Games at the Spire Institute in Geneva, Ohio.
A NEW RECORD HOLDER
Sophomore
Maddie Raymond continued her ascension into the upper echelon of sprinters in program history Saturday, setting a new program standard in the 60-meter dash not once, but twice. In the preliminaries, Raymond qualified for the finals with a time of 7.77 seconds, which broke the school record held by Hanne Claus (7.79) that was established at the 2018 Northeast Conference (NEC) Championships. In the finals, Raymond was even better, closing at 7.76 seconds. Raymond also posted RMU's top time in the 200-meter dash at 25.75 seconds.
THE CHAMPION
Fifth-year
Tara Gologram earned the individual championship in the long jump Saturday, posting a leap of 5.72 meters (18'9.25") to easily outdistance second place, which was claimed by Kaylin Martin of Ashland at 5.56 meters. Gologram will enter the 2023 Horizon League Indoor Track & Field Championships as the No. 4 seed in the event, as her distance Saturday is a season high and also ranks second in school history.
BUZZING
Junior
Gracie Parker continued her stellar indoor campaign Saturday at SPIRE, qualifying for the finals in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.10 seconds. In the finals, Parker claimed silver with a time of 8.82 seconds, the fastest time in over 20 years by a student-athlete for the Colonials. Parker just missed out on the individual crown in the event, which was won by Akron's Adaeze Nwokike at 8.81 seconds. Parker's time of 8.82 seconds cracks the top 10 in program history and is tied for 10th with former RMU sprinter Genita Dickey (1998-2001), who recorded that time at Kent State Feb. 3, 2001.
TWO LAPS
Sophomore
Grace Mason highlighted the distance offerings for the Colonials Saturday, posting a personal record in the 800-meter with a time of 2:21.22 to finish 11th. Elsewhere in the long game at SPIRE, sophomore
Frances Kabana posted a time of 5:25.64 in the mile, while freshman
Julia Dill crossed the finish line in 10:57.86 in the 3,000-meter.
PASS THE BATON
Mason also ran the final leg of RMU's 4x400-meter relay that posted a season-best time of 4:01.99 to finish fourth. Freshman
Ailena Reynolds-Diaz ran the opening 400, and she was followed by senior
Elicia Moore and sophomore
Hannah McDanel. Moore also finished with a time of 1:00.54 in the 400-meter Saturday at SPIRE, while McDanel recorded a time of 26.20 seconds in the 200-meter dash.
FIELD HAPPENINGS
Sophomore
Rayna Todero just missed out on a top 10 finish in the triple jump in a loaded field, finishing at 10.97 meters to finish 11th. In the shot put, the top mark came courtesy of sophomore
Zoee Gologram, who uncorked a heave of 11.15 meters, while senior
Alijah Caul finished at 12.09 meters for the top distance for the Colonials in the weight throw.
UP NEXT
The Horizon League Indoor Track & Field Championships are set for Saturday, Feb. 25, and Sunday, Feb. 26, and are hosted by Purdue Fort Wayne at Lutheran Health Fieldhouse in Fort Wayne, Ind.
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