The Mac Weekly

Issue date: 2/29/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Christopher Mitchell Pacing the pack. Distance stand out Erin Lowrey establishes a solid indoor time at the U of M.

Amidst stiff competition last Friday at the Parent's Day Open, hosted by the University of Minnesota, the women's track and field team challenged and out-raced athletes from neighboring Division I and II schools. A competitive field was exactly what coaches and athletes wanted in pursuit of MIAC qualifying marks.

While only a handful of the women qualified, they represented both Macalester and Division III athletes at the meet. "It's been intimidating running at the collegiate level," Christine Stresman '11 said. "It's intense but fun."

In racing, jumping, and throwing against competitors with athletic scholarships, the Mac women established some of their best marks.

After graduating three All-Americans last year, the women's team is significantly younger than it has been in the past several years. Nevertheless, Head Track and Field Coach Martin Peper remains confident about the team's roster size, talent, and most importantly, potential. "This a younger team," Peper said. "Not any less talented, just younger."

Erin Lowrey '10 had the top performance of the meet, placing 6th out of 22 entrants in the 5000-meter race. Her time of 18:40.73 currently ranks her 9th in the MIAC standings leading into the final weeks of the indoor season. Even though Lowrey tripped and fell onto the infield with four laps remaining in the race, she was able to maintain composure and finish strong.
"It was my first indoor 5K," Lowrey said. "It was great that we had such good competition."

Young middle distance runners Robin Major '11, Libby Tollefson '11, and Tara McCoy '11 competed well in their respective races. Major finished 7th in the 600-meter race with a probable MIAC qualifying time of 1:44.33. "The distance women have really come through since cross country," team co-captain Emily Dunn '09 said. "A lot of us like running shorter and faster races."

Showing potential, Mari Mejia '11 exceeded the 15-foot mark in the long jump and placed 4th in her flight. Of the sprinters, Maddie Mette '10 ran a competitive time in the 60-yard dash, finishing in 8.59 seconds. Mejia raced just under her teammate's time to finish at 8.56.

For the throwers, Jennifer Schubert had a successful performance in the weight toss, finishing 4th in her flight and marking a distance that matched her personal best.

Continued...

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