Both the AU men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams finished ninth at the Maryland Invitational held at Prince George’s Sports Complex in Landover, Md., Jan. 21.
The women’s event saw 19 teams compete, with 17 teams participating in the men’s event.
Pope top performer on men’s side John Pope picked up the only win on the day for the Eagles, as he finished first in the 3,000 meter run. Pope’s winning time of 8:35.53 highlighted a strong event for AU, as the Eagles represented the event’s top three finishers.
Mark Leininger finished just behind Pope with a time of 8:35.66, while Ryan Williams came in third with a time of 8:37.19.
In the men’s mile, Josh Olsen notched a second-place finish with a time of 4:19.01, as Kyle Graves from the University of Maryland took home the title in 4:16.90.
Olsen led the way in an event that saw four AU runners place in the top 11.
Constantine Matsakis completed the run in sixth (4:24.26), Ian Lutz finished ninth (4:27.46) and Tom Woermer came in 11th (4:27.69).
Maryland won the team competition, with Hampton University finishing second and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County rounding out the top three.
Tyburski leads women’s team Ali Tyburski matched Olsen’s second-place finish in the men’s mile, finishing second in the women’s event with a time of 5:10.57.
Julia Sullivan gave the Eagles two top five finishers in the event, as she placed fourth after posting a time of 5:14.36. Tyburski and Sullivan’s times were good for eighth and ninth all-time at AU, respectively.
In the 3,000 meter run, freshman Leah Gellineau registered a fifth-place finish with her time of 10:34.46.
Carly Birkhold crossed the finish line right after Gellineau, coming in sixth at 10:36.57.
Charlotte Staver’s time of 1:05.42 in the 400-meter dash placed her eighth all-time at AU, as she joined Tyburski and Sullivan with record-setting performances at the meet.
The Marlyand’s women’s squad also finished first in the event, with Coppin State and Morgan State finishing in second and third, respectively.
The Eagles will wrap up January by participating in the George Mason Patriot Games in Fairfax, Va., Jan. 28.
ttomea@theeagleonline.com
