Sykes-Sabock Challenge Cup Results
Ithaca College Results 

ITHACA, N.Y. – The Big Red women's track and field team was busy this weekend, with a strong contingent returning to State College, Pa., on Saturday to compete in the Sykes-Sabock Challenge Cup at Penn State and a large group competing at the Ithaca College Invitational at their new facility on Saturday as well.

Tested in a nationally competitive field at Penn State that included teams from up and down the East Coast as well as teams from the mid-west, the Cornell women more than held their own. Indeed, the Big Red women placed second of 16 teams, placing only behind Big 10 power Penn State's 181 points. Cornell's tally of 88 was ahead of defending Heps champion Princeton's 63 as well as good teams from Jacksonville, Kent State, James Madison, among others.

In addition, several Cornell athletes competed at Ithaca College, and the Big Red had 10 event wins and an ECAC qualifier on the new facility on South Hill.

The Cornell women were terrific at Penn State, winning four events (from Molly Glantz, Genna Hartung, Alyssa O'Connor and Rachel Sorna) to go along with a pair of runner-up showings as well as 15 ECAC qualifiers. The meet got off to a great start as the Big Red won the first three finals contested on the track. In the 5000, the first event of the day, sophomore Rachel Sorna continued her breakthrough winter campaign with a very impressive debut at this distance, making up an 11-second deficit to the lead pack in the last half of the race to place first in 16:55.99.

Joining her as an ECAC qualifier was junior Kate Rosettie, who had a 15-second personal record to place third in 17:12.34. Classmate Cara Costich also scored, placing eighth in 17:41.19, and senior Shelby Herman was 11th in 17:53.89.

Next up in the mile, junior Alyssa O'Connor closed very impressively, running a personal best 4:49.00 for the victory, a time that is sixth all-time at Cornell. Sophomore Dale Kinney set yet another personal best in 2012, running 4:58.01 for eighth. A pair of freshmen made good debuts: Marianne Collard won her heat to place ninth in 5:00.12 and Jade Williams was 12th in 5:01.74. And in the 600, senior co-captain Molly Glantz set a personal record with a fine 1:30.92 to produce a commanding victory.

Good things continued in the 800 as sophomore Lauren Lloyd made her first open 800 of the season a positive one, placing second overall in 2:10.85; senior Janel Parker was eighth in 2:13.33 as both easily bettered the ECAC standard. Williams doubled back to run 2:15.76 and senior Bry Bonavita (2:15.97) and junior Liz Reamer (2:16.46) also ran well.

Cornell also produced a pair of ECAC qualifiers in the long sprints as a pair of freshmen were very impressive. Freshman Katie Woodford ran 24.93 to place eighth in the 200 (seventh all-time at Cornell) and classmate Zena Kolliesuah was eighth in the 400 in a time of 56.77. Senior co-captain Melissa Hewitt had a solid day with a pair of 10th-place finishes in the 60 and 200 (7.73, 25.07), and a trio of 400 runners ran well with seasonal bests: senior Kelsey Reimnitz (12th, 57.10), sophomore Ryan Woolley (15th, 57.37) and sophomore Libby O'Brien (18th, 57.49). Senior Dani Silas (10th, 8.82) and Taylor Baird (14th, 8.97) competed well in a tough 60 hurdles field

The Big Red had a very strong showing in the final individual event of the day, as junior Genna Hartung cruised to victory in a personal best 9:40.88, winning by 12 seconds. Sophomore Emily Shearer ran very well in her first ever attempt at the distance, placing second in 9:52.35 as both were well under the ECAC standard. Senior Meghan Brown just missed her personal record with a sixth-place run of 10:00.93.

ECAC qualifying performances were not limited to the track. Cornell had a pair of ECAC qualifiers in the high jump as junior Ailish Hanly and sophomore Jennifer Bush both cleared 5' 7” as Hanly was fourth and Bush fifth. In the pole vault, senior Sam Brady equalled her personal best and No. 3 performance in school history with a ninth-place clearance of 12' 1 1/2”. And in the shot put, junior Victoria Imbesi was sixth with a heave of 46' 3 1/4”.

Cornell had a seasonal best of 3:46.92 in the 4x400 as the quartet of sophomore Ebolutalese Airewele, Reimnitz, Glantz and Kolliesuah placed fourth.

Even as the Big Red impressed at Penn State, a large group of Cornellians competed very well at Ithaca College.

The Cornell women had 10 event wins and an ECAC qualifier on the brand new facility at Ithaca College. Sophomore Anjelique Parnell led the way with a pair of victories. She won the long jump in an ECAC-qualifying 18' 10 3/4” and then took the 60 dash in 7.88 leading a 1-2-3 Cornell sweep of the sprint, as junior Mercy Gbenjo (7.90) and freshman Jasmine Smith (7.94) also did well with Smith then coming back to win the 200 in 26.15. Gbenjo (26.41) and freshman Eve Bishop (26.58) were close behind for second and third in the 200. Yet another 1-2-3 sweep came in the 60 hurdles, as freshman Mina Alexis-Amick ran 9.19. Sophomore Zaakirah Daniels (9.22) and senior Karen Schillinger (9.29) placed second and third. Bishop was also an event winner in the 400, placing first in 60.41.

Freshman Corey Dowe did a nice job to win the mile in 5:10.26, with senior Emma Clarke in third in 5:17.22. In the 3000, junior Neesha Schnepf set a personal best to place first in 10:23.40, and freshman Sydney Williams made her college debut a good one with a second-place run of 10:37.20. In the 800, freshman Tess Berghoff ran well to get second in 2:19.49.

In the field, sophomore Sarah Sherman cleared 5' 5” to win the high jump, senior Kristin Brandt reached 38' 3/4” to win the triple jump, with junior Savannah Johnson second in 35' 10 1/2”. Freshman Megan DeFord won the shot put with a mark of 40' 0 3/4”. Senior Shannon Crane was second at 38' 6” and junior Emily Koppelman third at 37' 4”. Senior Erin Rossi placed second in the weight throw at 50'10 1/4”.

Next up for Cornell is a series of home meets to close out the month of February. First is the Robert J. Kane Invitational at Barton Hall on Friday and Saturday. After that is the Marc Deneault Invitational on Feb. 18, and then the indoor Heps return to Cornell on Feb. 25-26.