This past weekend, the Georgetown track and field team competed in the second annual Spiked Shoe Club invitational at the Hanley Center at Georgetown Preparatory School in Bethesda. The Hoyas matched up strongly against Philadelphia’s La Salle University on Friday night, as seasoned veterans and a talented pool of newcomers competed in numerous events, each seeking to set personal records and achieve qualifying times for the Big East Championships.
Fresh off their national title this fall, many of the women’s cross country runners took to the indoor arena. Senior Emily Infeld, placed first in the 1000 meter run. Patrick Henner, the Director of Men’s and Women’s Track and Field, was thoroughly impressed with Infeld’s performance, calling it “the highlight of the whole meet.” He pointed out that she was a mere tenth of a second off of the school record, which was set during last fall’s NCAA Championship race. Additionally, he suggested that he would not be surprised if her time was the top in the country for the entire season.
In addition to Infeld, Hoyas London Finley, Deseree King, Autumn Touchstone, and Bria Murray all made strong contributions to the female team, topping the field in the 300-meter dash, 500-meter dash, high jump, and long jump, respectively. Coach Henner was pleased with the younger athletes as well, particularly the performance by freshman Annamarie Maag in the one-mile run.
On the men’s side, Georgetown continued to bring the heat with close finishes in multiple races. The one-mile saw Max Darrah narrowly edge out teammate Ben Furcht by less than half a second to win the race, and both runners set personal records. The men’s 500 meter dash witnessed a tie between graduate students Toby Ulm and Kevin Wilson.
Meanwhile, senior Kamryn Austin narrowly defeated teammate Biyerem Okengwu in the 60-meter hurdles. Austin continues to put up impressive times and provides great heart for the Hoyas, as he performed a forward roll and let out an enthusiastic scream after the 4 by 400 relay.
Running unattached, feeshman Derek Armstrong set what Henner called “a huge personal record,” as he finished first in the men’s 3,000-meter run and beat his previous record by about 20 seconds.
With Georgetown securing top times and distances in nearly every event, it may seem like the Hoyas were only competing against their own teammates. But La Salle performed strongly, and Coach Henner emphasized that the meet was beneficial for the Hoyas as a whole.
Looking forward, Coach Henner and the Hoyas are focusing on putting up some additional marks to qualify for the NCAA championships in March. Henner hopes to bump the intensity up a notch and push the Hoyas to take competition to the next level. He also wants to emphasize leadership among teammates, even the younger ones.
“Our philosophy is that you don’t have to be a senior to be a leader,” he said. “Even a new freshman can be a leader.”
He highlighted the importance of leading by example, being excited to race, and competing one hundred percent. Henner also believes Infeld is a strong forerunner of that mentality for his team, saying that “she gets out there and gives a good, strong effort.”
But despite the recent slew of wins, Henner does concede that the team can do better. “We’re showing improvement, but we can always show more,” he said. With their performance at Spiked Shoe, an improved Georgetown team could be a scary force for opponents.
Numerous Hoyas have already qualified for the Big East Championships, and continue to press on with that goal in mind. The Hoyas will next compete January 27 and 28 at the Penn State National Meet.
