Kayla Springer | The Echo
The Taylor University track and field team battled wind and low temperatures last weekend as they competed in the Marian Invitational. The invitational marked the team's third meet of the outdoor season.
"I would say we did well as a team," said senior Haley White. "The weather was not to our advantage, but we were able to succeed despite the conditions."
White claimed the only first-place finish for the women with a throw of 38.28 meters in the javelin, earning her Crossroads League Field Athlete of the Week honors for the second time this spring.
Freshman Sam Lacher agreed with White's statement and added, "We really cheered each other on around the track, which helped change the mood of the meet to a more positive one."
The men's team saw notable performances from Lacher, who finished third in the 400-meter dash with a time of 49.61 seconds, freshman Benjamin Byrd, who finished fifth in the 1,500-meter run with a time of 4:04.00 and sophomore Joseph Beamish, who grabbed a fourth place finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 9:46.61. Taylor was led in the field by freshman Mitchell Herrington, who finished second in the javelin with a throw of 45.00 meters.
Personal best times in the women's 5,000-meter run included freshman Michelle Franch with a time of 8:24.35 (seventh place) and senior Taryn Seeland with a time of 18:31.82 (10th place). The 800-meter run was a bright spot for the Trojans as they secured three of the top six spots. Freshman Rachel Blagg led the way in third place with a time of 2:21.46, followed by senior Jane Hawks at 2:24.46 (fifth) and freshman Anna Souzis at 2:25.03 (sixth). Freshmen Miriam Wood and Julianne Exner found success in the triple jump, finishing third (10.70 m) and fifth (10.59 m), respectively.
As the outdoor season continues, head coach David Neville's biggest goal for a team fighting various injuries is to stay healthy and ready to compete for conference championships at the end of the month.
"I'm not really concerned with how fast people are running right now, but that we're putting ourselves in a good position to contend for the title," Neville said.
The Trojans will next spike up at the Indiana Little State Championships at Indiana Wesleyan University on April 15-16.
"Photograph by Fayth Glock"
