Top runners from the Geneva Track and Field Team compete at Allegheny College on Friday, May 12 for a chance to earn a spot in the Division III National Championship Meet.
“There are some really good teams in the men’s 4x100 relay, so this will be the first time our team has had to run against somebody that challenges them,” says Head Coach Phil Thompson. The men’s 4x100 relay team (Henry Kennedy, Cam Unrath, Aaron Tedys, and Alex Parker) won many races by significant margins. With stronger competition, they hope to improve their times and push themselves to achieve the next level of performance. “If we get a 4x100 team to Nationals, that’s a pretty big accomplishment because they only take 16 relay teams,” Thompson says.
The men’s 4x100 is currently ranked 18th on the Track & Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS), with three teams ahead of them posting multiple times by running a second “B” team. Therefore, the team is actually ranked 15th because only one relay team from each school can qualify for Nationals.
On the women’s side, Nicole Bartoletta, who finished ninth at the indoor National Championship in the 60m hurdles back in March, runs the 100m hurdles to try capture the second National Championship berth of her career. The top 22 runners qualify, and currently she is tied for 14th place in Division III.
The women’s 4x100 with Bartoletta, Jessica Kelosky, Kailee Loose, and Sarah Klein is currently ranked 35th on TFRRS with multiple “B ” teams ahead of them, as well. They will also be competing for a spot at Nationals. “They really haven’t had anyone to run against either,” says Thompson, “so we’re hoping they can get some competition [and] drop a significant time.”
Unrath also competes in the 200m dash seeking to break the school record set by Jacob Mellinger last year. Parker and Dalton Paxson run the 100m hurdles, and Kelosky competes in the 100m and 200m.
Geneva athletes have another chance to qualify for Nationals on Thursday, May 18 at Ohio Wesleyan.
“It’s been a long season for them. It’s a long process and it beats your body up. I think everybody that’s going this weekend and next weekend is pretty excited to see what they can do,” says Thompson.
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