STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Breaking records has become a common feat for the University of Pennsylvania women's track and field program. Saturday at the Penn 8-Team Select, hosted at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island was no different.
One program record. Five top-10 all-time performances.
Jesse Carlin's program record in the 800m stood for over 10 years, but it won't sit atop the record books any longer. Nia Akins crushed that record by over four tenths, laying down a time of 2:05.86, also the fifth-fastest time in the country this season.
Cecil Ene put up the fastest time of the night in two separate events – the 60m dash and the 200m – and her time of 24.25 in the finals of the 200m is the third-fastest in program history. In the 60m, she ran a 6.67 in the preliminaries, the sixth-fastest all-time; Ene ran a 7.71 in the final to finish second. Behind Akins in the 800m was Katie DeVore, who finished fourth with a time of 2:09.36, the eight-fastest all-time.
Also in the 200m, Elena Brown-Soler finished third in 24.66, matching Camille Dickson's sixth-fastest mark all-time.
Even outside the historically-remarkable runs at Staten Island, six other Quakers won, absolutely dominating the field events. In the high jump, Anna Peyton Malizia bested the field in the high jump, clearing 1.78m, ahead of second-place Olivia Welsh. Claire Moreau also finished fourth, clearing 1.68m. Nicole Macco won the pole vault, clearing 3.82m and Abby Norwillo was second, finishing at 3.52m. Freshman Victoria Agyin leaped 5.64m in the long jump, using her fifth jump of the night to win the event. Maura Kimmel continued her dominance of the shot put, unleashing a toss of 16.36m to win and Rachel Lee Wilson and Mayya Mahama finished one-two in the weight throw with launches of 19.26m and 17.90m, respectively.
In the 4x400m relay, Penn's team of Akins, Katie DeVore, Hannah Connolly-Sporing and Melissa Tanaka triumphed in 3:50.36.
WHAT'S NEXT
Next weekend, Penn will travel to University Park for the PSU National Open.
#ThePursuit
#FightOnPenn
