LANCASTER, Pa. – Following two consecutive fifth-place finishes (and four in the last five years), the Ursinus College women's track and field team hopes to match that and then some as the Centennial Conference indoor championships take center stage this weekend at Franklin & Marshall.
The Bears landed in fifth at last year's indoor meet, but it was a jumbled assortment of squads behind runaway champion Johns Hopkins, the overwhelming favorite to extend a winning run that has continued unabated since 2011. Ursinus was only six points behind fourth-place Dickinson, and runner-up Swarthmore was a mere 20 points in the distance.
With a collection of talented newcomers expected to join the place-winning ranks, the Bears believe a move up the conference ladder is well within their grasp when the championship gets underway Saturday morning in Lancaster.
Saturday
Sophia Simoes will look to get off to a fast start in the weight throw, an event she placed fourth in a year ago in its indoor debut. The senior comes in seeded fifth with a top mark of 41 feet, 5 inches.
Freshman Julia Rakovska makes her championship debut in the triple jump, where she is seeded ninth (32-11.25) and could break into the place-winning spots with a strong performance.
Rookie Dominique Timmons (8.12) and Kate Hunt (8.15) are seeded fourth and sixth, respectively, in the 60-meter dash, while Rosie Cuomo is fifth in the 60-meter hurdles (9.97). Hunt was one of the breakout stars at last year's indoor championship, taking fifth in the 60 dash. Cuomo missed qualifying for the 60 hurdles final by just .03 seconds.
The distance medley relay unit is seeded second and hopes to challenge top-ranked Hopkins for gold. The Bears' top time of 12:49.15 came from Holly Chambers, Timmons, Jill Rotman, and Rachel Conhoff at Boston University earlier in the month.
The 4x200-meter relay will also be contested on the opening day of the championship. The Bears did not compete in the event during the indoor campaign but won it last year with Hunt, Rachel Coleman, Michela Coleman, and Gianna Speranza doing the honors.
Sunday
The Bears boast four potential place-winners in the shot put, where first-year Isabelle Deal hopes to gain the podium as the third seed with a season best of 39-8.75. Vikki Rueda-Juarez (35-5) is seventh, followed by rookie Hannah Bierling (35-4) and Simoes (35-2.50), who placed sixth last season.
Rakovska is also seeded ninth in the high jump (4-9).
Hunt is ranked fourth in the 200 (26.95) after taking seventh a year ago, and Rachel Coleman is eighth in the 400 (1:03.82), her exact position after last season's meet.
Rotman has been a mid-distance revelation for the Bears and comes in as the third seed for the 800 (2:24.53), while Conhoff is tabbed seventh in the mile (5:18.81).
Coleman, Timmons, Hunt, and Rotman turned in a top time of 4:10.95 (converted from 4:07.65) in Boston and are projected runners-up in the 4x400-meter relay.