ST. LOUIS, MO – After opening the outdoor season in Texas, the Principia College track & field team competed the WashU Distance Carnival and the SLU Billiken Invitational this past weekend.
The WashU Distance Carnival is an annual event that attracts some of the best runners from around the country. The Principia distance crew competed in the 5K on Friday afternoon.
Sarah Erickson was the top finisher for the women.
Holland Thomas was the top finisher for the men, running a personal best time of 16:48.
On Saturday, the team competed at the Saint Louis University Billiken Invite in St. Louis.
Sana Udoekong ran the second fastest women's 400 m in school history with a time of 58.78. Udoekong also equaled her personal best performance of 25.07 in the 200m and finished second in a field of Division I athletes.
Nana Koranteng ran the third fastest men's 400 m in school history with a time of 48.93 and won the event, beating competitors from all divisions. In the 1500 m,
Kennett Rampley,
Collins Odienge,
Holland Thomas, and Sophia Green each ran personal best performances.
In the field events,
Marc-Quan Daniels had a big PR in the discus throw with a mark of 35.59 meters, while
Goodluck Ajeh jumped a personal best in the long jump of 5.78 meters. Also in the men's long jump,
Howard James continued his strong start to the outdoor season by finishing second in the event with a jump of 6.80 meters. His season-best jump from Texas of 7.01 meters currently ranks 9th in all of Division III. James was named SLIAC Men's Field Athlete of the Week thanks to his efforts.
The Panthers return to competition on Friday, April 4th, at the Illinois College True Blue Invite and on Saturday, April 5th, at the SLU Billiken Alumni Meet.
