PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- The Cornell women's track team had a successful week at the 117th running of the Penn Relays, performing well against some of the very best in the nation. The Big Red earned a Cornell Penn Relays wheel in setting a school record in the shuttle hurdle to go along with 9 ECAC qualifiers, six other alterations to the top 10 lists and great performances in the Championship of America 4X800, Sprint Medley Relay and Distance Medley Relay.
One of the chief highlights of the week for the Big Red women was the performance of the shuttle hurdle relay on Friday as the quartet of junior Dani Silas, senior
Lauren Tanz, junior
Taylor Baird and junior
Karen Schillinger was eighth overall and the top ECAC team, setting a school record of 58.10 to earn a coveted Penn Relays Wheel. The previous school record was set in 2004 by Jamie Greubel '06, Stephanie King '07, Hannah Garrity '04 and Merili Mosley '04.
Cornell had great showings in the Championship of America sections of three other relays. On Thursday, the distance medley relay of junior
Alyssa O'Connor (3:27.3 for 1200), junior
Bry Bonavita (56.7 for 400), senior co-captain Kim Standridge (2:07.9 for 800) and junior
Janel Parker (4:49.8 for 1600) ran 11:22.15 for 12th in a loaded field and good enough for #3 all-time at Cornell.
On Friday, the sprint medley relay of freshman
Ebolutalese Airewele, senior co-captain
Mecha Santos, junior
Kelsey Reimnitz (56.6 for 400) and freshman
Lauren Lloyd (2:10.9 for 800) ran 3:57.50 to finish sixth in the Championship of America section and produce the sixth best time in school history.
And on Saturday, the 4X800 had a terrific race, producing the #2 time in school and Ivy League history, behind only the 2005 quartet of Carrie Richards '05, Alison Koplar '05, Jessica Brown '05 and Morgan Uceny '07. The 2011 quartet of O'Connor (2:09.6), Standridge (2:07.1), junior
Molly Glantz (2:08.7) and Parker (2:11.6) finished a very impressive 6th in the Championship of America section, crossing the line in 8:37.17.
The Big Red also had a seasonal best in the 4X400 on Thursday, placing second in the Heps race in 3:44.80 behind legs from Airewele (56.2), Reimnitz (55.8), freshman
Ryan Woolley (56.5) and Glantz (55.8).
The Cornell women had a series of highly competitive individual finishes as well. On Thursday night in the distance races, sophomore
Kelsey Karys placed fourth in the championship 3000 meters for the second straight year, crossing the line this year in a new personal best of 9:34.11, #8 all-time at Cornell. Classmate
Katie Kellner was 18th in 9:51.47, also an ECAC qualifier. And in the 3000 steeplechase, sophomore
Genna Hartung finished third in the college section with a nine second personal best of 10:34.45, now #4 all-time at Cornell. Freshman
Rachel Sorna also set a personal best, placing sixth in 10:43.82 (#8 all-time) and senior
Maura Carroll was seventh in 10:48.98 as all three were under the ECAC standard. In the field events, senior Cassie Schweighofer led the way with a very good throw of 153-7 for eighth in the college discus; sophomore
Claire Dishong was 19th in 132-1. Senior Kim Lienhoop was eleventh in the Eastern high jump at 5-6 while sophomore
Ailish Hanly was 21st at 5-4 1/2. Junior
Melissa Hewitt leaped 19-4 for eighth in the Eastern long jump (an ECAC qualifier) and sophomore
Brittany Dombrowski was eighteenth in the College javelin, reaching 124-6. And in the Eastern triple jump, junior
Kristin Brandt placed tenth in 38-10 1/2.
Complete results of the 2011 Penn Relays can be found here:
Cornell returns to Ithaca to host the Big Red Invitational on Sunday, May 1 to conclude the regular season.
