WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Elon University women’s track and field team opened the 2015 calendar year at the Wake Forest Invitational on Saturday, Jan. 10, inside the JDL Fast Track Complex.
Competing in its first indoor meet in over a month, the Phoenix had a few standout performances on the day. Jennifer Esposito garnered a third-place finish in the 400-meters with her time of 58.20 while rookie Lydia Laws was 13th overall with a time of 1:01.52.
Senior Haley Laird finished tied for third in the high jump after clearing the bar at 5’ 5” (1.65m). Teammate Megan Kirschling also cleared the bar at the same height, but needed more attempts to do so and was sixth overall. Freshman Emily Dixon finished in the top-10 of the event with a cleared height of 5’ 1” (1.55m).
In the pole vault, senior Claire Smith was sixth overall with her top cleared height of 10’ 6” (3.20m). Fellow senior Melinda Hersey was eighth after tying her personal-best mark of 9’ 10” (3.00m).
Both Laws and Dixon had marks of 16’ 10.75” (5.15m) in the long jump, finishing fifth and sixth, respectively as Laws had fewer misses. Carrie Abraham was ninth in the event with her leap of 16’ 9.75” (5.11m). Jayna Coyle was Elon’s top finisher in the triple jump with a mark of 35’ 4” (10.77m), good for seventh overall.
In the throwing events, Briana O’Grady was seventh in the weight throw with her best toss of 45’ 4.25” (13.82m). Bre’anna Warren (41’ 3” (12.57m)) and Bryanna Hames (39’ 7” (12.06m)) both finished in the top-10 of the shot put at seventh and 10th, respectively.
Elon returns to action next weekend, Jan. 16-17, at the Liberty Open in Lynchburg, Va.