faust big winner at track invitational

She won when she had a big lead and she won coming from behind. In all junior Alex Faust took first four times to lead a strong performance by the indoor track and field teams at the Muhlenberg Invitational.

The Mules combined to win 14 of the 24 events and continued to show weekly improvement with the Centennial Conference Championships now less than a month away.

Faust (right) started her incredible night by winning the long jump. In the pole vault, she did not come in until the other seven competitors were out. She cleared 11-10 on her third attempt to break the school and CC record she set at the Muhlenberg Invitational last year, then succeeded on her first try at 12-1. Although Faust missed at the NCAA automatic height of 12-3½, clearing 12-1 gave her an excellent chance of going to the NCAA Championships (last year 11-9¾ was good enough to get in).

After winning the 55 meters (taking one one-hundredth of a second off the school record she set earlier this year), Faust may have saved the best for last. Running the anchor on the 4x400, she took the baton in third place, about 40-50 meters off the pace, and caught the leaders on the last backstretch. Muhlenberg won the relay by almost a full second.

Faust was not the only multiple-event winner. Freshman Marc Brookland won the long and triple jumps, and classmate Peter Rice (left) captured the 400 and anchored the first-place 4x400 relay team.

Junior Jeremiah Lachaud missed the ECAC-qualifying mark in the 55 meters by just 0.02 seconds, and freshman Joe Tritto’s shot put of 46-8¼ wasn’t far from the ECAC standard of 47-1.
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Click here for complete results.

Nicolette Miller, Kimberlee Yalango and Hannah Mitchell (left to right) competed against each other in a heat of the 800 and together on a 4x400 relay team that finished third.

Emily Olsen came in fourth in the 400 meters and ran the third leg of the winning 4x400 relay team.

Stuart Udis (right) won the mile, two places ahead of Bobby Torphy.

Amanda Martini set a personal best in the triple jump, finishing second.