The day’s first event saw a pair of standout performances from the freshmen. Competing in her first 5000m at the collegiate level, Avery Latto soared into the record books with her second-place finish, clocking in at 17:29.70, the sixth fastest time in program history. Madison Patchan followed in sixth, tallying a personal best in the event with her 18:13.04.
Around two hours later, the meets premier event for the Knights saw multiple personal bests and strong finishes. Junior Penelope Sosa led the way in second, securing a new record with her 5:01.65 display. Also securing a personal record was sophomore Abby Clements who consistently matches Sosa’s times, running a 5:02.90 to place 4th.
Kendall Hughes landed in seventh, clocking in at 5:05.67, while Paige Jaszczak ran a new best of 5:06.61 to finish eighth. Norfolk State transfer Yvone Sandui made her Black and Gold debut, placing 14th with an opening 5:11.29. Riley Jaszczak rounded on the personal-record squad, running a 5:12.08 in 15th.
Making her collegiate debut, Bailey McLain authored a respectable 23rd-place finish, crossing the line at 5:15.97. Freshman Gianna Del Pizzo concluded the Knights’ efforts in 26th (5:17.24).
The competition concluded with Raquel Edwards securing her first collegiate win, leading the field in the 600m with her time of 1:34.37. She was trailed closely by three more Knights, as Karin Dobiasch placed second at 1:35.85, followed by Sandui (1:36.69) and Hughes (1:38.76) in fourth and fifth.
The distance group will be back in action next week at the Music City Challenge in Nashville, while the sprints and jumps squads will be back in action at the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
