CU Qualifies Three Runners For Regional Championships

The Columbia track and field team now has three more runners who will compete in NCAA Regional Championships at the end of May in Tallahassee, Fla. Coming off of a three-meet weekend, the Lions continue to keep Heptagonal and national championships in sight.

Seniors Liam Boylan-Pett and Jonah Rathbun, along with freshman Jeff Moriarty, ran qualifying times for the NCAA Eastern region in the 800-meter race. At the Sun Angel Track Classic hosted by seventh-ranked Arizona State University, Boylan-Pett led the Lions, as he finished in 1:49.53. Moriarty came in at 1:49.71 and Rathbun followed in 1:50.36. Moriarty is now the first Columbia freshman to run the 800-meter event in less than 1:50.00 and currently holds the third-fastest time in Lions history. Rathbun and Boylan-Pett were part of the 4x800-meter relay team that won the Championship of America race at the Penn Relays last year.

The three runners join seniors Carmen Ballard and Stephanie Lenihan as qualifiers for the NCAA Regional Championships. Thus far, head coach Willy Wood has used competitive meets such as the Stanford Invitational and the Sun Angel Track Classic to expose his runners to seasoned opponents who have drawn qualifying times out of the Lions.

The Columbia squads also competed at the Miami Elite Invitational and the Brown Invitational. Junior Melissa Ikono improved upon her 200-meter race performance in last year’s Miami Elite Invitational, and finished 31st in 25.38 seconds. Freshman Nicole Oparaeke followed Ikono, placing 42nd. Junior Tyler Hendry also improved upon his performance last season at the meet, running the 200-meter event in 22.77 to finish 35th. Senior Erika Moses ran the 400-meter race in 55.31 seconds, and came in at 11th place. Senior Osamuede Iyoha completed the 100-meter hurdles in 14.20, earning a ninth-place finish. Junior Marissa Smith, Iyoha, and senior Whitney Crayton swept the eighth, ninth, and tenth places in the 400-meter hurdles.
On the men’s side, sophomore Michael Mark had a standout performance at the Brown Invitational, winning the 800-meter race.

The Light Blue will hit the track again at the Princeton Invitational and the New York Relays this upcoming weekend.