Both the men’s and women’s track and field teams kicked off their 2017 outdoor season this past weekend at a seven-way meet hosted by the Lafayette Leopards, in which the division one programs from Colgate, Lafayette and Lehigh competed. Teams competed in long distance races (1,500m and 5,000m), middle distance races (800m), sprints (100m-400m) and jumping and throwing events. The men and women kicked off the season by breaking a combined total of nine personal records and four program records.

For the women, sophomore Marina Reilly and sophomore Ashley de Hechavarria led the Raiders at their seven-way meet. Reilly set a new personal record in the long jump with a distance of 5.41 meters, finishing first in the event and fourth best in Colgate history. Sophomore Sarah Sampson also recorded a new personal record in the long jump with a distance of 4.71 meters, while de Hechavarria clinched first place in the 3,000 meter steeplechase with a time of 12:28.88, a time that put her at eighth place in program history. 

In the 5,000 meter race, three Colgate runners recorded personal records. Senior Rebecca Easly finished third with a time of 19:07.59, beating her previous best time by over 40 seconds. Junior Meghan DioGuardi took fifth place with a personal record time 19.17.99, and sophomore Denise Larson reached new heights with a time of 19:44.13. In the pole vault, first-year Meghan Maloney grabbed third place with a height of 2.65 meters. In the high jump, first-year Tianna Biscone set a new personal record at 1.55 meters. Lastly, the 4×400 meter relay team – consisting of Reilly, first-year Lauren Hanske, first-year Carly Schwartz, and senior Anna Orientale – finished second with a time of 4:11.96. 

On the men’s side, sophomore Oliver Moe and senior Daniel Mosko led the team this past weekend. Moe, who holds the second-fastest 400 meter dash time in program history, finished third with a time of 49.24 seconds. Mosko, who holds two out of the top-ten program records for hammer throw, came in at third place with a distance of 49.45 meters. Sophomore Anthony Castillo also ran the 400 meter dash, breaking his personal record and finishing fifth overall with 50.27 seconds. Colgate took first place in the 800 meter race with junior Colin Loughlin running a quick 1:58.09 seconds. 

For the sprint events, senior Austin Perez finished top three in the 200 meter dash, and sophomore Brandon Gonzales broke his personal record in the 100 meter dash. For the distance events, first-year Luke Myers ran 1,500 meters in a solid 4:14.29, and first-year Ian Bania was the top Colgate competitor in the 5,000 meter race with a time of 16:44.01. Lastly, Colgate’s 4×400 meter relay team – composed of Loughlin, Perez, Castillo and Moe – finished in 3:32.85, which earned them second place. 

This past Saturday proved to be a really strong showing for both the Colgate men’s and women’s track and field teams. On April 1, the Raiders will travel to Smithfield, Rhode Island to compete at the Black and Gold Invitational, hosted by the Bryant Bulldogs.