The women’s track and field team traveled to William & Mary for the two-day Colonial Relays on April 1-2, while some other team members traveled to Bloomsburg, Pa. for a tri-meet. The results of the tri-meet did not count towards scoring, as there were only 13 Bison athletes present.

In Williamsburg, Va., Jess Bridle ’16 ran for a school record time during her 400-meter sprint at 54.92, breaking the previous record of 54.98. She came in fourth out of 102 runners.

“Overall, this weekend was a great start for the women’s team, despite the stormy weather conditions. We had a lot of individuals as well as relays hit some PRs and ECAC qualifying marks, which is very exciting because we still have quite some time before the League Championship in May. Thus, I feel pretty confident in this team’s potential for this outdoor season,” Bridle said. 

Christine Bendzinski ’18 ran the 5,000-meter in 17:00.24 and Sarah Chandler ’17 finished in 17:00.27. These were personal-bests for both of the women, who are now fifth and sixth, respectively, in the program record books. Jen Silvestri ’16 placed third out of 78 in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:02.09. Elizabeth Sheprow ’17 finished ninth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a personal-best of 10:57.38, the fourth-fastest time in school history.

The Orange and Blue throwers continued the success, with Sophia Nnadi ’16 placing fourth in the hammer throw with a heave of 160-10. Tara Lee ’16 came in sixth with 155-9. Three javelin throwers, Meg Sangimino ’17, Dayna Simone ’16, and Rebecca Skovira ’16 worked together to earn 14 points.

To end the day on April 1, Alison Billas ’16 and Christine O’Kane ’19 earned sixth and seventh place, respectively, in the 10,000-meter run. Devon McDonald ’16 jumped 18-6 in the long jump, placing her seventh in program history.

On April 2, the Bison dominated the relays. In the 4×400-meter relay, Allison Sharkey ’17, Silvestri, Laura Papili ’17 and Bridle took second place out of 30 teams with a time of 3:46.96. This is the third-fastest time in school history. In the 4×1500-meter relay, the team of Kate Scott ’17, Sheprow, Chandler, and Bendzinski placed third out of 21 teams. The Bison came in eighth in the 4×100-meter relay with runners Kafilat Oladiran ’18, Carly Reiner ’17, Kimberley Lapszynski ’17, and Bridle.

In throwing, Abigail Brundage ’16 and Nnadi both found success in the shot put, while Stephanie Easse ’17 dominated the discus, adding to the Bison’s growing score. Reiner leapt 36-9 ¾ in the triple jump, earning third place.

At the end of the competition, the Bison placed second out of 44 teams, with a total of 81.5 points. Next up for the Bison is the Mason Spring Invitational in Fairfax, Va. on April 9.