Track and Field Completes First Leg of Outdoor Slate - Florida Atlantic University Athletics

3/17/2018 12:00:00 AM | Women's XC/Track & Field

March 17, 2018

CORAL GABLES, Fla. - The Florida Atlantic University track squad notched two first-place finishes - by Erica Lersch and Anne-Catherine Wasser - and six other top-five individual showings, at the season-opening UM Hurricane Invitational this weekend.

Notables:

Wasser was the top finisher in the 400 meter hurdles, running a 1:01.22, while Lersch crossed first among 32 runners in the 1,500 meters, at 4:42.20
Both achieved a new personal best, and are among the program's all-time top 10 list, each eighth in their respective event
Lersch saw three teammates place right behind her in the 1,500. Liz Wellman was second (4:44.54), Megan Giovanniello third (4:50.49) and Bethany Hardcastle fourth (4:52.38)
Also in the 400 hurdles, Alessa Sandusky (1:06.19, ninth) and Cassidy Smith (1:06.25, 10th) earned top-10 finishes
A second Owl notched a runner-up showing, in the 800 meters, as Carydaliz Fontanez finished less than second behind the winner in a time of 2:18.80
Also in the 800, Christina Humphries placed seventh (2:26.33, a PR), and Angelique Francois (2:28.98) and Brooke Butterfield (2:29.28) were back-to-back in 12th and 13th
In the Owls' first event, three runners finished in the top eight in the 5,000 meters, all PR's: Bethany Hardcastle (18:16.12, fifth), Sophia Clark (18:39.73, seventh) and Morgan Graff (18:48.14, eighth)
Both Owls' relay squads finished fifth: The 4x100 combination of Ana Holland, Wasser, Sherline Valentin and Crystal McDougle (46:56) and 4x400 group of Valentin, Holland, Roshelle Francois and Wasser (3:46.49)
In field events, Frida Thorsås was fifth in the javelin (39.62 meters) and 16th in the long jump (5.34m), while Esther Mitchell finished 15th in the triple jump (11.19m). Mitchell's leap is sixth all-time on the FAU outdoor list
The FAU men saw two top-10 placements in the 1,500 meters, with Jonathan Werble fifth (4:10.91) and Lachlan Shiver eighth (4:11.95)

Quotable:

"Our first outdoor meet of the year was productive and sets us up well for a successful outdoor season," said Head Coach Alex Smolka. "The 4x100 meter relay team had a good first outing and shows real promise. As a coaching staff, we're excited for the upcoming weeks."

What's Next:

Next week, the team travels to Tampa for the USF Invitational. Another two-day event, it takes place March 23-24.