MEADVILLE, Pa. -- The Notre Dame Track & Field team set a new program record, had another athlete qualify for the national championships, and tallied three first place finishes over the weekend at the Gator Invitational. (
Results)
The Falcons now have 17 athletes competing in the national championships, which will take place May 27-29, in Marion, Ind.
Tim Robinson highlighted the men’s performance, as his 50-foot, 5-inch toss in the Shot Put made him a national qualifier in the event, and he placed third overall. The team of
Brandon Tolliver,
Demar Sheffey,
Joseph Leyland and
Andre Robinson took first place in the 4x400-Meter Relay, with a time of 3:22.32. Tolliver, Leyland, and Robinson were joined by
Jerrell Settles in the 4x100-Meter, and finished second with a time of 42.44 seconds. Robinson also ran a 49.09 in the 400-Meter Dash, good enough for third place.
A new school record in the Hammer Throw and a pair of first place finishes stole the spotlight on the women’s side. The new Notre Dame College record in the Hammer Throw now belongs to
Chevi DeJesus. The Cleveland, Ohio, native delivered a 151-foot, 2-inch toss in the event and finished fourth overall.
Noelle Johnson’s 18-foot, 3-inch leap in the Long Jump was good enough to win the event, and
Jessica Thomas won the 100-Meter High Hurdles, with a time of 14.70 seconds.
Tiffany Tucker finished second in the event, right behind Thomas at 14.71. Tucker was joined by
Lauren Macer,
Ava Woods and
Shawnta Davis in the 4x100-Meter Relay, and finished second in the event with a time of 47.99 seconds.
“This was a great tune-up meet for us going in the National Championship meet,” said Head Coach
Rico Franklin. “We will use this week to fine tune some things and rest some of our athletes. We are all very excited for the National Championship meet.”
The Falcons are back in action on Thursday, May 27, when they head to Marion, Ind. to compete in the NAIA National Championships.