The Hawk

Issue date: 12/8/06 Section: Sports

Senior middle distance runner Lentz won the 440-yard dash.

If you are a women's track fan, you have a lot to look forward to.

Based on last Friday's performance at the Lafayette Invitational, the upside is tremendous for this season.

The first meet against Rider, Muhlenberg, Moravian, East Stroudsburg, and Lafayette was a chance for the track team to show off all of their training and dedication.

Showing off was exactly what the Hawks did.

They placed first in five different individual events, as well as first in the 4x440-yard relay.

It might only have been the first meet and the competition might not have been the toughest that St. Joe's will face all season, but six first place finishes is solid groundwork for the development of a magnificent season.

Coach Kevin Quinn is pleased with the outstanding performance of his team, but knows that one cannot take the success in the first meet to the bank.

"We are not in mid-season form, but the times we had were mid-season performances," said Coach Quinn.

Quinn is especially pleased with senior captain Valerie Ramirez, who placed first in the 60-yard hurdle event.

Clocking in with a time of 8.63 seconds, Ramirez was .03 seconds away from breaking the school record, which she set last year.

Not only excelling in hurdles, Ramirez placed third in the 220-yard dash, which was won by fellow Hawk junior Jordan Teuber with a time of 26.61 seconds.

Also relying on veteran experience was senior captain Julie Lentz, who comfortably won the 440-yard dash.

Junior Adrienne Beltz also contributed to the first place finishes with a time of 5:34.35 in the mile run.

So, you might be thinking, all of the success that St Joe's will see this year is going to be because of the upperclassmen, right?

Not so fast.

Freshman Nicole McMullen was the top finisher in the 500-meter race with a time 1:38.38 and anchored an all-freshman squad in the 4x440-yard relay, which also came in first with a time of 4:12.50.

The upside is tremendous for this women's track team, as they have key contributors both experienced and young.

Coach Quinn is optimistic about the future of this season.

"We are as good as I think we are; we can be contenders," said Quinn.

To be contenders, the Hawks will have to up their level of performance, even higher than the six first-place finishes last Friday.

Continued...

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