The American University track and field team opened its season with a bang at the Richmond Fred Hardy Invitational on March 20.
Sophomore Daniel Messer triumphed in the men’s 3000 meter steeplechase with a huge 31-second personal record of 9:15:45 to win by a margin of nearly 20 seconds. The performance moved Messer into fourth place on the American all-time list for the event and set the fastest time in the Patriot League this season.
Messer, who was named Patriot League Track Athlete of the Week following his conference-leading performance, said after the race
“It’s been a long time coming in the steeple, waiting for a nice PR, so it was good to finally follow through,” Messer said.
During the indoor season, Messer ran personal bests in every event he contested, shaving 30 seconds from his 3,000 meter PR and 43 seconds from his 5,000 meter mark.
“I’ve come off the back of a big winter training block, so I was feeling pretty confident,” Messer said. “But the drop was definitely a little bigger than I expected.”
He also credited the strong team environment at American with helping improve his performance, noting that senior teammate Cooper Michaud paced him through the first mile and carried him through the opening half of the race.
“I’m a big fan of it here,” Messer said. “The coach is great, our training is great and the environment we have here with the team is great.”
There were more strong performances on the track from the Eagles as freshman Shealyn Brochu made an impressive debut in the 1500 meter, finishing fifth in a time of 4:36:77. In the same race, freshman Charlotte Orr also had a strong debut, placing 13th in 4:47:61.
In the men’s 1500 meter, sophomore Zack Zerbe recorded a personal best of 3:57:17, with sophomore Ty Parker finishing close behind in a PR of 3:59:70.
Freshmen Daden Grogan and Emmett Engelhardt competed in the 800 meter, both running just shy of their personal bests. Grogan placed fourth in 1:52:74, while Engelhardt finished fifth in 1:53:33.
In the women’s 5k, sophomore Zoe Rector ran a PR of 17:57:66 to place seventh, improving her previous mark by 15 seconds.
In the men’s race, sophomores Jaden Frederick and Noah Smith finished first and second in times of 15:00:17 and 15:01:65, respectively.
Head coach Sean Graham said the team wanted to open the season strong, and their times proved that.
“We did not want to treat it as a rust-buster, we wanted to view it as a serious opportunity to get things done.” Graham said. “Daniel’s race was excellent, and the result was definitely one that we expected. The ease with which he did it is really exciting for what is to come.”
Despite the success, Graham acknowledged that Brochu and other athletes were seeking faster times in tough wind conditions and tactical races.
“I like that chip on the shoulder, as I think it pushes the team forward going into the rest of the season.”
This article was edited by Connor Sturniolo, Jack Stashower and Walker Whalen. Copy editing done by Avery Grossman, Mattie Lupo and Nicole Kariuki.
