Complete Results

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The Big Red men's and women's track and field teams had a strong start to the outdoor season, more than holding their own against excellent competition at the Aztec Invitational over the weekend by combining for 28 ECAC/IC4A qualifying performances and three event wins.
 
Competing in San Diego for the first time against a field that had Olympians and NCAA champions while also having to deal with lengthy travel, Cornell still produced five changes to the all-time top-10 lists in school history.
 
The Big Red women were terrific, producing 16 ECAC qualifiers, a freshman record and over 20 top-10 event finishes in the competitive meet. Things began very well on Friday night in the distance races.
 
Senior All-American Genna Hartung ran a technically sound race in the 3000 steeplechase, leading wire to wire to win as she finished in 10:46.22, an ECAC qualifier and her best ever steeple seasonal debut. Freshman Claire DeVoe impressed in her very first attempt at the event, placing third in 11:12.18.
 
In the 5000, the Big Red took five of the top nine places with four ECAC qualifiers. Senior co-captain Katie Kellner placed third in 16:28.12, the fastest time by a Cornellian on the spring trip in the last 20 years. Freshman Caroline Kellner had a seven-second personal best to place fifth in 16:42.98, and junior Devin McMahon ran a very strong race to improve her 2013 best by nine seconds, crossing the line in 16:44.80. Senior Kate Rosettie was seventh in 16:54.77, an outdoor personal record by 26 seconds. And freshman Dina Iacone, despite being sick, ran well with her teammates, splitting an impressive 10:01 at 3K before finishing in 17:20.53 for ninth.
 
Last, but certainly not least, freshman Sarah Holl ran an excellent race to place 10th in the 1500 in 4:36.23.
 
On Saturday, things got off to a solid start in the 4x100 as the quartet of sophomore Mina Amick-Alexis, sophomore Zena Kolliesuah, junior Ebolutalese Airewele and sophomore Katie Woodford ran 47.11 for seventh and an ECAC qualifier, a good beginning. Airewele came back with an outstanding race in the 400, running 55.24 for eighth in a great field, the No. 8 time in school history. Kolliesuah joined her as an ECAC qualifier, placing 10th in 55.65.
 
The Big Red had two other individual eighth place finishes on the track: sophomore Elyse Wilkinson set a collegiate personal record with a run of 2:12.22 in the 800, and junior Ryan Woolley ran 62.62 in the 400 hurdles. And in the 4x400, a lineup of sophomore Emily Woodford (58.8), senior co-captain Libby O'Brien (56.2), freshman Deedee Akpaete (57.1) and Woolley (55.8) ran 3:48.29 for seventh and an ECAC qualifier.
 
The Big Red women were particularly strong in the field events. In the high jump, senior co-captain Ailish Hanly cleared 5' 8 3/4” for second, and freshman Elizabeth Crissy joined her as an ECAC qualifier with a clearance of 5' 7”. Not only No. 8 all-time, Crissy's performance ties the freshman record of Shawna Rossini '07.
 
In the javelin, the Big Red had three more ECAC qualifiers. Senior co-captain Victoria Imbesi had an impressive debut with a third-place throw of 148' 1”. Classmate Brittany Dombrowski looked strong with a fifth-place mark of 139' 4”, and sophomore Felicia Reid got off to a good start with a mark of 137' for eighth.
 
In the pole vault, Claire Dishong continued her fine senior year with a 10th-place clearance of 12' 2 3/4” in the pole vault.
 
The team now heads up to Irvine for a week of training on their facility and will conclude the trip with the UC Irvine Spring Break Invitational on Friday and Saturday.