CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The College of Charleston track and field team continued its strong start to the season on Saturday at the Tar Heel Open, an indoor event hosted at the Eddie Smith Field House, on campus at the University of North Carolina.
Highlighting the day was Lorna Doucette's record breaking performance in the 200 meter sprint, while Julisa Tindall qualified for the ECAC championships with another strong showing in the high jump
Here is a quick look at the day's action on both the track and the field:
On The Track!
The Cougars had a great day on the track Saturday, starting with Rachel Leder (Greenville, S.C.) who fought her way through the prelims to make finals of the 60-meter hurdles. In perhaps the highlight of the day, both Lorna Doucette (Fletcher, N.C.) and Christa Horrocks (Glen Mills, Pa.) broke the school record in the 200-meter sprint. The mark had previously been held by Carla Washington (2002-06). Also shining bright was Hayley McMahon (Poughkeepsie, N.Y) who won the mile event for the second consecutive meet, while Trish Rein (Philadelphia, Pa.) set a new PR in the mile as well.
Athlete of the Meet:
Aisha Maddox (Jr. /Columbia, S.C.)
Aisha earned athlete of the meet honors (a weekly award given by the coaching staff) on Saturday, after volunteering to fill a vacant spot on the 4x400 relay team, where she inspired her team with a gutsy performance.
On The Field!
Freshman Julisa Tindall (Rock Hill, S.C.) put in a fantastic effort in the high jump on Saturday, winning the event and becoming the first Cougar to qualify for the ECAC Championships in March. Tindall was fourth in the triple jump as well. Roshani Glover (Summerville, S.C.) was also great in the jumps, making the finals in the long jump – where she eventually finished fifth – and third in the triple jump. Also on the field, junior Tiffany Sisk (Easly, S.C.) posted a new PR in the weight throw and finished third in the shot put.
Athlete of the Meet
Julisa Tindall (Fr. /Rock Hill, S.C.)
Assistant coach Lauren Stewart on Tindall's performance…
“I'm very happy with how Julisa competed today. She maintained her composure in the high jump and responded well as the bar was raised. In fact, her best jumps of the day came at the higher heights. She had 3 great attempts at 1.77 (5'9.75") and proved she is a competitor. Qualifying for the ECAC indoor championships today is a big accomplishment and Julisa should be proud of the momentum she has built so far in her first collegiate indoor season.
COACHES CORNER:
College of Charleston Head Coach Amy Seago:
On her team's overall performance…
“I am pleased with our progress today. We are starting to embrace competition and are learning how to improve as a result of it. We talk a lot about not being afraid of making mistakes- we are human we all make them. The important aspect is that we learn from our experiences and grow as a result. Today we showed a lot of courage by allowing ourselves to be in the competition and staying excited about what we can do - as opposed to fearing failure. There's a big difference. To be a champion you have to be more concerned about giving your all than worrying about the result. When you're worrying about the result, it means you're not really giving your all. Today, we focused on the task and succeeded as a result.”
NEXT UP!
Next up for the Cougars is the UCS Invitational on Friday, Feb. 14, and Saturday, Feb. 15, in Winston Salem, N.C.
