May 13, 2017
By Megan Golden
ATLANTA — The University of Notre Dame track and field team gained momentum on day two of the Atlantic Coast Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Georgia Tech’s George C. Griffin Track. Following sophomore Anna Rohrer’s 10,000m title on Friday, senior Nathan Richartz won his second career pole vault conference championship on Saturday.
The Irish men wrapped up Saturday’s action in 10th place (11 points), while the women’s squad currently is in control of sixth place overall (18 points).
The action was highlighted by Richartz’s pole vault championship, in which he jumped 5.27m (17-3.5). The championship is the second ACC title of his career and first of the season.
Freshman Abbey Kapitan threw a personal-best 15.81m (51-10.5) in the shot put, finishing fifth and scoring for the Irish. Kapitan was followed directly by senior Indi Jackson, who threw 15.57m (51-1) and also scored. One day after leading the Irish in the hammer throw, freshman Logan Kusky threw 14.91m (48-11) in the shot put, placing 14th overall.
Graduate student Sydni Meunier added to the scoring, placing eighth in the 3,000m steeplechase with a time of 10:29.88.
Freshman Keira Kelly jumped 1.62 (5-3.75) in the high jump, finishing 15th overall.
Freshman Troy Pride Jr. (10.60) matched a personal record with a fifth-place finish in the 100m dash, qualifying for the finals on Sunday. Sophomore Zachary Zajdel (10.97) and senior Tommy Grant (11.02) placed 20th and 21st in the 100m.
On the women’s side, freshman Michaela Butler (12.07) placed 15th in the 100m dash, and sophomore Kyla Lewis (12.08) came in 16th overall.
Junior Jessica Harris and sophomore Kelly Hart finished in the five and eight spots in the 800m and will race in the finals on Sunday. Senior Jamie Marvil ran 2:11.48, and sophomore Stephanie Knight recorded a time of 2:11.61, finishing second in her heat.
For the men, senior Pat O’Connell set a personal record with a time of 1:49.91 and a fifth-place finish in the 800m. O’Connell will race in the 800m finals on Sunday at 6:50 p.m.
Junior Rachel Rhodes (4804 points) finished ninth in the heptathlon, highlighted by a fourth-place finish in the 800m (2:16.45).
In the 100m hurdles, freshmen Summer Thorpe (13.86) and Jernaya Sharp (14.08) led the Irish with 17th and 21st-place finishes, respectively. Senior Taylor Craft ran the 100m hurdles in 14.24, and freshman Grace Cronin ran in 14.28. Sharp’s time marked a personal record.
Junior Payton Miller (54.60) came in 12th place in the 400m dash, running in a time of 54.60, while senior John Rutkowski returned from injury and ran in a time of 49.60 for the men.
Coming Up Next
Sophomore Matthew Birzer and junior Hunter Holton will open ACC Championship Sunday with the men’s high jump at 2 p.m. ET.
Senior Taylor Craft will jump in the triple jump, and senior Anthony Shivers and freshman Shae Watkins will throw in the discus, also at 2 p.m. In the women’s discus, senior Indi Jackson and sophomore Alexa Coubal will throw for the Irish.
In the women’s 5,000m final, sophomore Anna Rohrer will look to repeat her ACC Indoor Championship. Rohrer, who won the 10,000m race on Friday night, will run alongside junior Lexi Pelletier.
Juniors Kevin Pulliam and Brent Kennedy, who placed ninth and 10th in the 10,000m on Friday, will compete in the 5,000m race at 8:05 p.m.
The women’s 4×100 relay will compete at 5:03 p.m., while the women’s and men’s 4x400m squads will conclude the meet with back-to-back start times beginning at 8:30 p.m.
Meet Coverage
The meet will be broadcast by the ACC Network Extra/WatchESPN beginning at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday. Live results are available here.
Fans are encouraged to check out the ACC Fan Guide before attending this weekend’s championships. For the complete ACC Championships schedule, click here.
For a closer, behind-the-scenes look at the Irish track and field program, follow @NDXCTF on Twitter.
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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.