Indoor Track and Field Programs Compete on Big Stage

Joe Ladd ’19
Sports Editor
This past weekend, both the men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams traveled north to Boston to compete in the Valentine Invitational on Friday, as well as the Gordon Kelly Invitational on Saturday. Boston University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology hosted each invitational, respectively. Both Bantam teams wanted to edge themselves against some highly competitive division I programs–and they did just that. On the women’s side, a couple of Bantam runners set new school records at the Valentine Invitational. Senior Anna Barnes etched her name in Trinity’s record book as she crossed the finish line for the 1K in 2:59.01, taking down the previous record set at 2:59.11–which has stood in the Bantam record book for a decade. In the 400-meter dash, junior Morgan Hallow got herself in the record books once again after beating her own record. She crossed the finish line at 57.48, which shattered her previous record set at 58.03. First-year Izzy Montes de Oca also had a strong showing in the 1K, as she crossed the finish line at 3:06.68. Also getting in the mix was senior co-captain Lauren Barrett, who led the Bantam milers with a 5:18.13 mile run time. On the next day, the Bantams traveled back up to Boston to compete at the Gordon Kelly Invitational, hosted by M.I.T. The men’s team boasted a few highlights among the highly competitive field, as senior Samuel Oyebefun crossed the line for the 60-meter dash before anybody else, finishing first with a time of 7.153. Finishing behind a string of Tufts runners, sophomore Erkin Verbeek crossed the 600-meter race at 1:26.88, just 7-tenths of a second behind the first-place finisher. In the mile, first-year Brendan Coffey crossed the line at 5:22.56. Leading the pack in the 60-meter hurdles was senior Luke Mayer, who finished at 8.59. First-year Kinnard Hughes jumped longer than the rest of the field in the long jump, flying to 6.73 meters and finishing first. Both teams brought their hard work and talent to the big stage at both events. Looking forward, the Trinity indoor track and field program will take their efforts to Springfield College for the Springfield Invitational. Extend your best wishes to our track Bantams!