Feb. 3, 2017
By Megan Golden
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — The University of Notre Dame turned in several impressive performances on the first day of the annual Meyo Invitational on Friday at Loftus Sports Center.
The Irish saw three student-athletes (in three events) advance to the semifinals in their respective events and also had two top-10 finishers.
Semifinals and Green Jerseys
Freshman Troy Pride Jr. (6.88) finished first in his heat and eighth overall in the 60m dash, finishing just .03 away from matching his PR. Pride has advanced to the semifinals and will race on Saturday at 10:10 a.m. ET.
Pride (22.10) also came in 22nd overall in the 200m dash, while sophomore Zachary Zajdel (22.19) was 27th.
Pride said he is excited to have survived day one and be able to sport the green jerseys — a first-time uniform for the Irish — on day two.
“I didn’t run my best race today,” Pride said. “I’m really happy I get to wear the green uniforms tomorrow. I just want to run better; I want to perfect my race. I haven’t really run a perfect race yet, and that’s what I’m striving for, that’s what I’m going for.”
Pride said he is looking to attack out of the blocks and be competitive in tomorrow’s race.
“I’ve never really come to anything and said, ‘I don’t really want to finish this,” he said. “I want to finish first in everything.”
Women’s Sprinters Advance
Freshman Summer Thorpe (8.66) crossed the finish line third in her heat and 16th overall in the 60m hurdles. Thorpe will race in the semifinals at 9:45 a.m. on Saturday.
Fellow freshman Grace Cronin (8.80) also recorded a PR in the 60m hurdles, finishing 31st overall in the race.
Jernaya Sharp (7.65) finished the women’s 60m dash in 22nd overall, advancing to the semifinals. She will compete at 10:05 a.m. ET on Saturday.
Moving Up in the Ranks
Senior Anthony Shivers broke his own school record and earned a PR (20.27m) in the weight throw on Friday. Shivers recorded the fourth-best throw in the Atlantic Coast Conference and 28th-best in the country this season.
Freshman Abby Kapitan (15.70m) came in 22nd in the weight throw, and senior Emily Carson (5.26m) finished in 29th in the long jump.
5K Finishers
Graduate student Sydni Meunier (16:47.43) raced in the 5,000m and finished eighth overall. Meunier ran alongside Sydney Foreman (16:49.99) and Ashlyn Rambo (16:56.29), who recorded 12th place and 17th place, respectively.
Saturday’s Coverage
The Meyo Invitational will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra/WatchESPN from 2-4 p.m. ET on Saturday.
Live results will be available by visiting DeltaTiming.com. For more information on the track and field program, follow @NDXCTF on Twitter.
Notre Dame graduate student Sydni Meunier will be taking over the NDFightingIrish Snapchat account for the entire day on Saturday. Follow Sydni and the Irish throughout the day for a behind-the-scenes look at the meet.
Top Irish Finishers:
W 600m:
36. Alexis Daugherty- 1:44.45
W DMR:
11. Notre Dame- 11:47.19
W 5000m:
8. Sydni Meunier- 16:47.43
M 5000m:
27. Brent Kennedy- 14:46.23
W Long Jump:
29. Emily Carson- 5.26m
W Weight Throw:
22. Abby Kapitan- 15.70m
M Weight Throw:
6. Anthony Shivers- 20.27m
W 200m:
21. Allison Bartoszewicz- 25.00
M 200m:
22. Troy Pride Jr.- 22.10
–ND–
Megan Golden, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since August of 2016. In her role, she coordinates all media efforts for the Notre Dame women’s lacrosse and cross country/track and field programs. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Golden is a 2014 graduate of Saint Mary’s College and former Irish women’s basketball manager. Prior to arriving at Notre Dame, she worked in public relations with the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox.