Rachel Wilson shines as Penn track and field continues to roll at Howell Invitational

With a third meet under their belts, Penn track and field is shaping up to have a record-breaking season.

The men and women competed in the Sam Howell Invitational at Princeton this past Friday. The meet, originally scheduled to take place on Friday and Saturday, was condensed to just the singular day due to the potentially impending weather.

The Red and Blue combined for eight event wins on the day, taking gold in both track and field events. That being said, the women were a dominant force who are making their mark in the program’s record books.  

One of the top performers on the day was junior Rachel Lee Wilson, who not only won the women’s hammer throw, but also reset her own program record for the second time this season. Wilson’s threw for a distance of 60.51 meters, almost three meters farther than the second-place finisher. This distance moves her up to 13th in the NCAA East Region.

In the women’s shot put, sophomore Maura Kimmel and freshman Ashley Anumba took an impressive first and second.

The Penn women also swept the pole vault, with junior Nicole Macco placing first, sophomore Zoe Early placing second, and sophomore Katherine Schroeder placing fourth. Notably, Macco cleared a height of 3.85m.

The Penn women also performed exceptionally in the track events.

Senior Taylor McCorkle dictated the 100m dash, finishing with a time of 11.80. Cecil Ene and Barbara Biney finished just behind McCorkle, finishing third and fourth, respectively.

Sophomore Breanne Bygrave edged out Princeton’s Ellie Randolph in both the prelims and finals of the 100m hurdles to win the event. Bygrave won finals with a time of 14.02, but went even quicker in prelims with a time of 13.88. 

In the 200m dash, the Quakers completely dominated the competition. Cecil Ene placed first, Taylor McCorkle placed second, Caroline O’Neil placed third, and Hannah Lueders placed fourth. Ene’s time of 24.01 was fast enough to earn her fourth in Penn history.

Ranking third all-time at Penn, sophomore Julianna Catania won the 3,000m steeplechase with a time 10:41.70. Senior Lily Huntsman followed, tallying a time of 10:54.27.

The Quakers took gold in the 4x100m relay with a time of 45.80 — fast enough to rank fifth in Penn history. The foursome of Barbara Biney, Taylor McCorkle, Camille Dickson and Cecil Ene all performed outstandingly in their individual events as well.

The men for the Red and Blue performed well, but it is obvious that there is still room for improvement.

Sophomore Nathan Fisher won the pole vault, clearing a height of 4.90m. Quaker Senior Michael Benz took third.

In the high jump, senior Ian Kirk took second and cleared a height of 1.95m.

Freshman Cristian Constantin came in third in the long jump, reaching a distance of 7.06m.

After a successful third weekend, the outdoor season will continue with a full slate next weekend. The Quakers will visit the Tennessee Relays, Temple Invitational, and Bison Outdoor Classic.

The women have seen a vast amount of success this early in the season, especially coming off of their Ivy League championship win at the indoor Heps. The Red and Blue can be confident going into another competitive weekend and continue to set a positive tone for the remainder of the spring.