Elon Track and Field Opens Outdoor Campaign at High Point

ELON, N.C. – Coming off a successful indoor season, the Elon University women’s track and field team transitions to the outdoor season as the Phoenix travels to compete at the Bob Davidson Spring Kickoff on Friday and Saturday, March 17-18, at Vert Stadium. The meet kicks off at 11 a.m. on Friday.

ENTRY LISTS

“Here we are, starting our first meet of the outdoor season this Friday,” said Elon Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Mark Elliston. “It’s going to be a good transition from the indoor season to going back and competing outdoors. These early meets are a good buildup towards the ones later in the season including the (Colonial Athletic Association) Championships.”

Follow the Phoenix
Fans can keep up with the action of the Phoenix this Friday and Saturday with live results listed on the Elon women’s track and field schedule page. Other updates will be provided on the team’s social media accounts on Twitter and Instagram at the handle, @eu_xctf.

Scouting the Field
Seventeen schools are scheduled to compete this weekend including host High Point, Appalachian State, Dartmouth, Duquesne, Hampton, Marshall, Ohio, Robert Morris and Wake Forest.

Last Time Out
Elon concluded its indoor season at the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Indoor Championships in Boston, Mass., on March 3-5. The Phoenix was ninth overall at the meet with 23 points, its highest finish ever at the ECACs.

Emily Dixon finished third overall in the pentathlon with 3,636 points, the second straight season that the Bath, England, native finished in the top-three in the pentathlon. Rookie Melissa Anastasakis clocked a time of 4:51.26 in the preliminary round of the one-mile run, a new personal-record in the race with the second-fastest time in school history.

In the 5,000-meter run, Coralea Geraniotis clocked a new personal-best time of 16:45.38 in the race and was fourth. Senior Shelby Cuddeback was fifth with her new personal-record time of 16:47.59. Geraniotis’ and Cuddeback’s times are now the second and third-best performances in school history, respectively.

The Phoenix 4×400-meter relay team of Desiree Ross, Katie Arbogast, Lydia Laws and Lauren Brzozowski set a new personal-best time as a quartet with a preliminary time of 3:46.98. Senior Briana O’Grady tied her personal-best in the weight throw as the South Kingstown, R.I, native had a toss of 53′ 3.75″ (16.25m). She was 23rd overall in the event.

The maroon and gold had a pair of top-six marks in the shot put. Bre’anna Warren was fifth in the competition with her heave of 45′ 7.75″ (13.91m) while Bryanna Hames was not far behind at 45′ 7.25″ (13.90m) in sixth.

Setting the Stage for the Outdoor Campaign
The Phoenix begins its outdoor season looking for its third straight CAA Outdoor Championship this season. Elon was able to successfully defend its league championship last season on it home track as the maroon and gold posted a conference program-record 193 points at the meet – the most points at the CAA Championships since 2005.

The Phoenix also had four individuals capture event titles. Elon also won championships in the 4×100-meter and the 4×400-meter relays with both squads setting new school-records in the process. Overall, the Phoenix had seven event titles and 12 individual All-CAA athletes during the two-day meet.

Dixon is looking to defend her title in the heptathlon for the third straight season. She extended her school-record in the multis with 5,059 points. Senior Jayna Coyle earned CAA medalist honors in the triple jump with the second-best mark in school history. The Somerset, Pa., native had a leap of 40′ 6″ (12.34m) in the event.

Among the outdoor all-league performers returning for the maroon and gold includes Carrie Abraham (triple jump), Brzozowski (4×400-meter relay), Dixon (100-meter hurdles), Hames (shot put and discus), Geraniotis (5,000-meters), Kimberly Johansen (800 and 1,500-meters), Lydia Laws (400-meter hurdles and 4×400-meter relay) and Desiree Ross (4×100-meter relay, 4×400-meter relay). The Phoenix also welcomes the return of 2015 All-CAA thrower Warren, who missed the 2016 outdoor campaign with an injury.

On Deck
The Phoenix returns after its spring break with a trip to the Raleigh Relays on March 24-25.