Elon Women’s Track & Field: Distance Squad Races at Joe Hilton Invite

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The distance members of the Elon women’s track and field team saw a number of new personal-bests and top performances as the Phoenix competed at the Joe Hilton Invitational on Saturday, April 12, at the Irwin Belk Track at Fetzer Field.

“We set a number of personal-bests at this meet,” said Elon head cross country and assistant track and field coach Christine Engel. “It‘s very important to be running at our best at this time of the season as a whole, especially with the conference championships coming up in a couple of weeks.”

Freshman Kimberly Johansen clocked in a time of 2:12.11 in the 800-meters, setting a new outdoor personal-best and becoming the third fastest performer in the event in school history while finishing third overall. Senior Jackie Madden was sixth in the race with her personal-best time of 2:15.74.

Sophomore Tereza Novotna broke into the top-five all-time in the 1,500-meters with a time of 4:36.46 while en route in the one-mile race. Novotna finished overall time of 4:58.58 in the one-mile run.

Freshman Elyse Bierut was third overall in the 3,000-meters with a time of 10:10.46, becoming the third-fastest performer in school history. She was joined in the top-five on the all-time performance list by fellow freshman Shelby Cuddeback, who ran a time of 10:15.78.

Elon also had members of its men’s cross country team also compete on Saturday. Luis Vargas set a new men’s outdoor record time in the 1,500-meters clocking in at 3:49.66, also en route in the one-mile race. Vargas finished the one-mile run with a time of 4:08.04. Ari Rothschild finished with a time of 8:48.06 in the 3,000-meter, the second fastest performance on the men’s outdoor list.

The distance harriers will rejoin the remainder of the track and team at its next meet, the 2014 Southern Conference Outdoor Championships on April 26-27 at Spartanburg, S.C.

Meet Results