Williamsburg, KY – UC's women posted multiple stellar performances at both the Bellarmine Open in Louisville and the Vanderbilt Invitational in Nashville, TN. UC's day finished with a pair of wins along with five NAIA A standards.
Bellarmine Open
Abia Kante dominated her competition in multiple events on Friday, winning both the 200m and long jump. She leaped 5.79m for an A standard, a new program record, and ranks second in the NAIA this year. Lillian Guzman came in fifth in the LJ with a 5.23m jump with Jaci Woods finished eighth behind a 5.05m mark. Woods also entered the triple jump where she placed sixth with a 10.67m jump.
Kante also stood atop the podium in the 200m dash with a 25.03 time. She was followed by her teammate MaQuoia Raglin who clocked a 25.19 for second overall. Allie Bryson finished 14th in 26.59 while A'Yana Gray and Kennedi Riascos finished 18th and 22nd with times of 27.11 and 27.79. Raglin also qualified for the 60m dash finals as the top seed, where she would place second overall with a 7.74 finish.
The 4x400 relay squad combined for a second-place finish in Louisville. Kante started the race before Raglin and Guzman handled the second and third legs. Bryson took over as the anchor and crossed the finish line in 4:06.44 for second
The 800m saw a lone Patriot runner in Jasmin Ponce, who finished seventh in 2:34.18. The 3K featured four Pats led by Julie Duedahl who ran a 10:45. 51 for 11th. Maelyn Barker finished 13th in 10:50.25 while Chloe West and Anslee Crosby ran times of 11:00.90 and 11:15.67 for 18th and 21st, respectively.
Maggie Buerger was the top UC thrower on the day with a seventh-place finish in the weight throw. She finished with a 14.21m best. Delaney Deaton placed 16th with a 12.12m toss while Taylor Lunsford and Hannah Baker finished 19th and 23rd behind 11.36m and 9.40m performances.
Buerger also was the top Patriot finisher in the shot put with a 10.35m mark for 10th. Deaton's 8.81m throw earned 15th with Baker placing 19th after an 8.24m toss.
Vanderbilt Invitational
The Vandy Invitational saw started with a bang as four Patriots came away with A standards in the 5K. The 5000m saw an incredible debut from Sharon Jemili, who placed second against high-level competition. Jemili clocked a 17:07.37 in her first appearance in a Patriot kit, the second fastest time in the NAIA this season. Alina Boshchuk followed with a 17:14.43 for fourth, just in front of Elke Wijkmans whose 17:17.20 earned fifth overall. Tarikua Majocchi rounded out UC's A cut finishers with a 17:26.91 5K finish.
The 1K was the final event that featured a Patriot competitor. Elizabeth Lucason was the lone runner for UC, clocking a 3:00.03 for 28th. This was just three thousandths of a second away from the national standard.
The Pats will be back next weekend as they are set to attend the Brant Tolsma Invitational at Liberty University and the PNC Bank Bellarmine Classic in Louisville.
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