Towson completes two meets over weekend
Towson had a busy weekend, competing in Akron, Ohio on Friday and Saturday in the Akron Invitational. The Tigers concluded their weekend in Newport News, Virginia on Sunday, competing in the Vince Brown Invitational.
On Day 1 of the Akron Invitational, Towson saw its best performances from senior distance runner Ashley Simmons and junior pole vaulter Maggie Rampolla.
Simmons finished ninth in the 5,000-meter dash with a time of 18:37.40. Rampolla also finished ninth in the pole vault event with a height of 11 feet, 6.5 inches.
“We were very pleased with the results from the Akron Invitational,” Rampolla said. “We had four top-three finishes and some personal records.”
Other notable performances from the Tigers in Day 1 of the Akron Invitational came from sophomore pole vaulter Courtney Rose, junior jumper and hurdler Wilhelmina Austin and senior distance runner Elisabeth Tauber.
Rose finished 15th in the pole vault event, with a height of 10 feet, 0.75 inches. Austin finished 17th in the long jump event with a distance of 5.39 meters and Tauber finished 18th in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 18:57.51.
On Day 2, the Tigers saw their best performance from Austin, who finished second in the triple jump with a distance of 5.39 meters.
Towson also performed well as a team finishing third in the 4×400-meter run.
“Overall this weekend was very successful,” senior captain Emily Wegner said. “We went into this meet very excited for new competition, and Akron has one of the best indoor track facilities we have ever been to, so that definitely made the difference in our performances.”
In the Vince Brown Invitational, senior jumper Vanessa Pierre posted one of Towson’s best performances.
Pierre finished in 12th place in the long jump event with a distance of 5.04 meters.
Towson also excelled in the 4×400-meter relay as sophomore jumper Aharon Abdus-Salaam, sophomore sprinter and hurdler Allyson Figalora, sophomore sprinter Danielle Alessi, and junior captain Katelynn Williams finished first in the Section 3 timed finals.
Towson’s next meet will be Sunday, Feb. 22 in Princeton, New Jersey at Jadwin Gym in the Princeton Invitational.
“Expect to see more improvements and success,” Wenger said. “We’ll be fresh and rested. It’s nearing the end of our indoor season so we’re all ready to transition to outdoor, which we all look forward to.”
