The Owls traveled to Yale University this weekend to compete in the Giengengack Invitational in New Haven, Connecticut, finishing the competition with four first-place finishes.
Highlighting the first day of competition was senior Jenna Dubrow, who claimed a first-place finish in the 5,000-meter run while also breaking her own school record with a new personal-best mark of 17 minutes, 18.85 seconds.
First-year coach Elvis Forde said he was not surprised that Dubrow was able to perform as well as she did.
“Jenna has worked hard and epitomized what it is to work hard every single day, and our sport rewards people that are committed and are dedicated to the cause,” Forde said. “It was no [surprise] to see her break the school record and establish a new personal best for herself, but the nice thing about that is that she looked so relaxed doing it.”
Another top spot was claimed by sophomore Kenya Gaston, who won the 400-meter dash 56.99 seconds. Temple went one-two in the event, with senior Hollis Coleman claiming second with a time of 58.15 seconds.
Junior Jamila Janneh continued her winning streak by placing first in the triple jump with a mark of 11.67 meters. This extends Janneh to five wins on the season.
Senior Kiersten LaRoche placed second in the long jump with a mark of 5.76 meters. Sophomore Jimmia McCluskey placed fourth in the event with a mark of 5.58 meters. LaRoche also took gold in the 60-meter hurdles with a personal-best time of 8.80 seconds.
Sophomore Bionca St. Fleur took third in the 200-meter dash with a time of 25.17 seconds, while junior Demeshia Davis placed fourth in the event in 25.36.
Forde says he is seeing improvement in the performances of his team.
“I think we are getting better,” Forde said. “Every weekend, we are showing signs that our athletes are working harder and developing the right attitudes to be successful.”
Forde also said he wants to work on keeping his team focused and encourage it to keep a positive attitude through the remainder of the indoor season.
“I think staying healthy as we move forward here in the last weeks of preparation is going to be critical,” Forde said. “I think that the attitude that we [bring] to practice every day is going to manifest itself and that’s something that I will continue to encourage in regards to our program; be a good team player, encourage each other and just do the things that we have to do.”
The Owls will travel to Boston Friday, Feb. 13 to compete in the Valentine Invitational. This competition will mark the Owls’ last meet before the American Athletic Conference Championships, which will take place on Feb 27-28.
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