Track and Field Captures Four Individual Titles at Fasttrack Season Opener

Friday, December 6

Staten Island, N.Y.

Temple University

Fast Track Season Opener

Track and Field Captures Four Individual Titles at Fasttrack Season Opener

12.6.19 | Women's Track and Field

Results

Staten Island, N.Y. – The Temple track and field team opened up its 2019-20 season in stellar fashion with four individual titles and 19 top-10 finishes at the Fasttrack Season Opener on Friday, Dec. 6. The Owls made the first of many showings at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex on Staten Island, N.Y., where Aisha Brown (high jump), Candus Burks (triple jump), Marissa White (400m) and the 4x400m relay had first place finishes in a steady season opener for the Cherry and White.

Meet Highlights
> Junior Sydney Williams set the tone for the day in the Owls' first event on the track this season, running the 60m hurdles in 8.81 to finish second in prelims and qualify for finals. Not only did this time already surpass her fastest run of last season of 8.87, but it also marks her fastest ever 60m hurdle race in Cherry and White. The junior ultimately finished third overall after recording a time of 8.90 in finals. Blair Knuckle, a sophomore transfer from Towson, finished 13th in her first-ever race as an Owl, clocking in at 9.83 in the 60m hurdles.
> Sophomore Lexi Walsh had a steady first race of the season in the mile, finishing fifth in the event with a time of 5:24.27 and missing her best-ever time by just two seconds (5:22.45).
> The Owls looked solid in the 60m dash and were represented by five runners in Chelby Elam, Brielle Lewis, Williams, Madison Beecher and Burks. Elam, a freshman from Philadelphia, Pa., clocked the fastest time for Temple in 7.86 to finish sixth in the 63-person field. Fellow rookie Lewis came next for the Owls, finishing 15th overall with a time of 8.00 to start the season. Williams trailed her teammate by just .04, taking 18th in the event with a time of 8.04.
> White quickly returned to her winning ways in her first 400m back on the track since her standout freshman campaign. The sophomore sprinter clocked in at 55.76, nearly beating her best-ever indoor time in the event of 55.20 to win the 43-person field.
> Junior Mallorie Smith made her 2019-20 debut in the 500m, clocking in at 1:16.57 to take third place overall in the 32-person field. Freshman Deyona Banks made her rookie debut in Cherry and White in the event, clocking in at 1:22.36 to take 20th overall.
> The newcomer duo of Alanna Lally and Mikaela Vlasic had a stellar showing in their first race on the track in Cherry and White. Lally, a redshirt senior from Galway, Ireland, took silver in the 1000m with a time of 2:57.39 to kick off the season. Vlasic, a junior transfer from Pitt, finished her first track race as an Owl in 2:57.70 to take third overall.
> Beecher and Lewis returned to the track to earn a pair of top-10 finishes in the 200m dash. Lewis took seventh overall with a time of 25.92, and Beecher placed 10th after sprinting the lap in 26.10.
> Freshman Laura Nicholson had a superb first showing in the 3000m after overcoming injury during her rookie cross country season. The Cork, Ireland native finished fourth overall in the event, clocking in at 10:08.93. Sophomore Emma Seifried also participated in the 3K, finishing 11th overall with a time of 11:11.15.
> Four Owls competed in the long jump in Burks, Tannekee Strachan, Zowie Dahn and Knuckle, all of whom placed in the top-10 of the 26-person field. Burks, the lone veteran in the quartet, finished third overall with a mark of 5.27m. The rookie duo of Strachan and Dahn took fifth and sixth, with marks of 5.20m and 4.70m, respectfully.
> Junior standout Aisha Brown debuted her talents in the high jump, taking home a gold medal with a mark of 1.70m. Brown was joined in the top-10 by two freshmen in Knuckle (seventh, 1.55m) and Dahn (10th, 1.50m). Burks came back for her third event of the day to make her season debut in the triple jump, capturing the individual title with a mark of 10.87m.
> The successful season-opener capped off with a fourth and final win for the Owls, when the 4x4 relay team of White, Williams, Lally and Smith took gold with a time of 3:51.47.

From the Coach
> "There were many outstanding performances to open up the season today," said head coach Elvis Forde. "Marissa and Aisha had great starts to the season while winning their respective events. Mallorie had a very good run in the 500m, and Alanna and Mikaela had some steady performances for first timers in Cherry and White. Local runner Chelby had a great start to her Temple career, and Sydney had one of her best races since she came to Temple. Overall, there were some very good performances for the first meet and we look forward to seeing how everyone progresses moving forward. The team did a great job today and we look forward to returning to Ocean Breeze on Sunday to close out the 2019 portion of our indoor season."

Up Next
> The Owls will continue opening when they return to Ocean Breeze on Sunday, Dec. 8 to compete at St. Johns' Bill Ward Invitational. Competition is slated to begin at 10 a.m. on Staten Island, N.Y.