Feb. 7, 2014
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — It was a busy first day at the Loftus Sports Center. On day one of the 27th annual Meyo Invitational, the University of Notre Dame men’s and women’s track and field teams earned five top-five finishes and one event victory.
All-American sophomore Danielle Aragon brought home the first-place finish for the Irish in the 1,000m with a time of 2:48.70. She narrowly missed the school record of 2:48.18 set by fellow All-American Rebecca Tracy (’13) in 2011.
“Dani ran very well–it was almost a school record,” says head coach Joe Piane. “She had struggled a little bit last week, she didn’t quite have the snap that she needed, and she looked really good today. She’s getting a little more speed and that’s precisely what the young lady needs.”
After tonight’s 5,000m runs, both sophomore Molly Seidel (16:36.63) and junior Jake Kildoo (14:22.06) now hold the fastest times in the ACC so far this season. Seidel’s performance also currently ranks as the 13th fastest time in the NCAA on the year.
In a race of strong competitors, Seidel says that her finish gives her a lot to look forward to, especially so early in the year.
“I’m very happy I got that time, and I think it’s a good place to build off of,” she explains. “I definitely want to keep working harder to improve on that throughout the season, but it’s a good jumping off point.”
Of their places in the ACC, Kildoo remarked that it was a nice feeling, but that it’s still early in the season. For him, the races today were more about putting in a solid effort and continuing to improve as the season progresses.
Day two of the meet will open tomorrow at 10 a.m. with the women’s 3,000m run. Live results will be available on UND.com.
“Tomorrow will be very exciting,” Piane says. “Especially in the afternoon from 2:30 on, everything’s a final and everything is short and quick. It will be a very good track meet tomorrow.”
WOMEN
60m Hurdle Prelims: Kaila Barber finished third in her heat with a time of 8.78. Her finish qualified her for the semifinals later in the evening.
60m Hurdle Semifinals: Kaila Barber ran the event in 8.78, qualifying her for the event finals that will take place on day two.
60m Dash Prelims: Notre Dame had two qualifiers in this event. Aijah Urssery finished third overall with a time of 7.56, and Kaila Barber qualified with a time of 7.67 in a tie for 11th overall.
60m Dash Semifinals: Aijah Urssery ran it in 7.53 to qualify for the finals of the dash during day two of the meet.
5,000m Run: Molly Seidel finished second in the event with a time of 16:36.63. Her run was highlight for Notre Dame tonight, as she currently has the best time for the 5,000m in the ACC and the 13th best time in the NCAA.
Weight Throw: Vivien Devaney came in fourth in the finals of this event with a throw of 18.57m. Ihuoma Nwaogwugwu also came in 11th place with a throw of 17.00m.
MEN
60m Hurdle Prelims: Jarrod Buchanon ran for a time of 8.14, finishing eighth overall in all the heats and qualifying for the semifinals later in the evening.
60m Hurdle Semifinals: Jarrod Buchanon came in seventh in this event with a time of 8.12, just one place and .02 second away from qualifying.
60m Dash Prelims: Josh Atkinson placed fourth overall with a time of 6.84, qualifying for the semifinals later in the night.
60m Dash Semifinals: Josh Atkinson just missed qualifying for the finals, coming in seventh with a time of 6.84.
500m Dash: Jarrod Buchanon finished in ninth place for the Irish with a time of 1:05.98.
1,000m Run: Grant Koch came in sixth for Notre Dame in this event with a time of 2:27.98.
5,000m Run: Jake Kildoo had the lead in the middle of the race but ended up finishing in third for the Irish with a time of 14:22.06.
Weight Throw: Jordan Stumph finished fifth in the finals of this event with a throw of 18.36m.
Long Jump: Keith Mesidor placed ninth for Notre Dame with a leap of 7.00m.
–Lauren Chval, Media Relations Assistant
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