Home meets for the Cardinal track and field team are always exciting as they present our athletes with opportunities to come together as a cohesive unit and excel in front of adoring fans. However, with the Wesleyan Classic eschewing team scoring, individuals were truly able to zone in on their own performances with stupendous results.
For the women’s squad, Kiley Kennedy ’16 and Sierra Livious ’14 gave the Cardinals two record-setting performances in the pole vault and hammer throw, respectively, in addition to six other first-place finishes.
“The team did really well this past weekend,” Kennedy said. “Everyone on the team is so talented and works incredibly hard, so it is great to see all that work pay off.”
Wesleyan had other first place winners in Alexis Walker ’16, who won the 100m dash with a time of 13.05 seconds in addition to the long jump with a score of 17-8 ¼; Caroline Elmendorf ’17 in the 5000m, who won with a time of 18:29.89; Ellie Martin ’16, who captured the 400m title in :58.96; and Livious, who showed off her multifaceted athleticism in the 100m hurdles (:16.37). Wesleyan also won two relays in the 4x100m (49:90) and 4x800m (9:52.16). Livious and Kennedy setting school records ensured that the Cardinals completely owned the day, with Livious tossing a 151-4 in the hammer throw and Kennedy scoring 10-8 ¾ in the pole vault to break the previous marks set in 2005 and 2001, respectively.
“My new record qualified me for ECACs,” Kennedy remarked. “I am really excited to represent Wesleyan there!”
While the pole vault is Kennedy’s first school record, Livious’ hammer throw mark adds to what is already an impressive career, as she owns both the indoor and outdoor shot put records.
The men’s squad, while not as dominant as the women, also turned in some impressive performances, and Saturday saw LaDarius Drew ’15 and Agbon Edomwonyi ’16 continue to dominate their respective events. Drew has consistently impressed as the season has continued, and he does not show any signs of stopping as he won both the 100m (:11.57) and 200m (:22.39) last weekend.
“It felt great to win both of my key events, despite the wind picking up at the start of both,” Drew said. “There’s nothing better than being first, and it felt great to dominate the track for the third consecutive week.”
Along with Drew’s success, Edomwonyi has been doing wonderfully in the throwing events, placing first in the shot put (46-6 ¾), second in the discus (122-4), and third in the hammer throw (141-10).
“I’m pretty excited how the season has started thus far, especially with the hammer throw,” Edomwonyi said. “I think I will only continue improving in the coming weeks, and I’m looking forward to a bigger, more competitive meet next weekend.”
Yuon Flemming ’15 had a solid day as well, capturing the 100m hurdles and placing second in the 400m hurdles.
“I’m pretty happy with [my 400m hurdles time] because it’s my best so far this season,” Flemming remarked. “But with that being said, I have high hopes for dropping my time even more in the next coming meets.”
Coming up, the Cardinals have one more shot to impress on their home track in the Elmer Swanson Invitational this weekend. With many important meets coming up, Flemming acknowledged the team’s sense of urgency in this short outdoor season.
“[This late] in the season, it’s really all about preparation and trying to qualify,” Flemming said. “We’re looking to continue running well as we get ready for the big meets.”