Three More Columbia Runners Qualify For NCAA Regionals After Weekend

The Columbia track team had a tremendous weekend in individual performances as it raced at the Princeton-hosted Larry Ellis Invitational and New York Relays. After taking on Ivy League foes and Manhattan competitors, Columbia has advanced three more runners to the NCAA Regionals and set two more school records.

Seniors Carmen Ballard, Liam Boylan-Pett, and Erika Moses ran regional qualifying times at the Princeton Invitational. Ballard, finishing second in the 1,500-meter race, ran a speedy 4:24.01 and defeated Brown contender Smita Gupta. Freshman Erin Hays and senior Stephanie Lenihan followed Ballard with 15th and 16th-place finishes. Boylan-Pett finished fourth in the men’s 1,500-meter event in 3:42.91 to set a new school record. Moses, winning the 400-meter dash, also set a new school record with her time of 54.21.

Other Light Blue athletes delivered strong performances at the invitational as well. The women’s 4x100-meter relay, comprised of Moses, freshman Nicole Oparaeke, junior Elisse Douglass, and junior Melissa Ikono, won its event, and Ikono earned a first-place finish in the 100-meter dash. Senior Osamuede Iyoha finished second in the 400-meter hurdles, followed by junior Marissa Smith and senior Whitney Crayton in fourth and seventh. On the men’s side, sophomore Chris Hays finished 10th in the 800-meter race, although senior Tim Kaijala of Penn won the event and qualified for NCAA regional championships. The men’s 4x400-relay team finished seventh behind both Penn teams.

Sunday’s historic New York Relays also proved successful for the Lions, with the women’s team taking second in the meet behind Albany. Ikono came in fourth in the 100-meter dash preliminaries. Senior Yvonne Maginley placed ninth in the 400-meter event, and Iyoha, Douglas, and freshman Melesa Johnson took second, third, and fourth in the 100-meter hurdles. These three runners and Oparaeke made up the first-place finishing 4x100-meter relay. On the men’s team, sophomore Sean Quinn took third in the 400-meter hurdles.

The Lions will compete next at Penn Relays and the Yale Invitational later this week.