While most of the UChicago population was enjoying the first Saturday of the quarter with beautiful weather, the track and field teams were at work at their first meet of the quarter. The weather was a big plus, as second-year Ted Falkenhayn stated that “we were really lucky [with the] great weather for so early in the season.” Outdoor meets early in the spring are always a risk, especially given Chicago’s unpredictable weather—so a beautiful, sunny, but not-too-hot day was the ideal condition. The Maroons took advantage of it and performed admirably in the first meet of the season.
Overall, the women’s team won the team title and had five first-place finishes, while the men’s team was able to finish as runner-up in the meet. The women’s team captured multiple titles in distance running, capping off a dominant meet of longer distances. Second-year Zoe Smith took first place in the 3000-meter steeplechase, while third-years Claire Brockwaywon the 5000-meter race by more than 23 seconds and fellow third-year Maggie Boudreau added a championship in the 10000-meter race. In addition to the long distance victories, third-year Isabel Garon was victorious in the pole vault and fourth-year Nicole VacaGuzman won the 800-meter.
In addition to finishing second overall, the men’s team claimed victories in three different events. The 5000-meter race was the epitome of complete dominance by the Maroons as UChicago claimed the top five spots, with first-year Henry Myers winning first place and bragging rights over his teammates. Additionally, second-year Will Shine was a shining star with his victorious performance in the 3000-meter steeplechase. Alexander Scott won the last victory of the meet for the men’s team in the hammer throw with a whopping throw that went over 50 meters.
Both Falkenhayn and third-year Laura Darcey were happy with the promising start and are gearing up for the conference meet that is on the horizon. Darcey said, “The first outdoor meet is always a little difficult, getting used to the outdoor track and competing in a different environment; we had a promising start and we are excited to keep building on these performances in preparation for Conference in a couple of weeks.” Similarly, Falkenhayn proclaimed, “The team is healthy and gearing up for a big push for the conference meet.” Both teams are excited to build upon their amazing indoor performances from the winter.
