SFU does well on the track, can improve in the field
By Bryan Scott
Both Simon Fraser University track teams were in action last week at the University of Washington Huskies Invitational in Seattle, Washington. Senior runner Helen Crofts once again led the way for the Clan, improving on her already impressive 800-metre time, and helping the medley relay team to their NCAA division II leading performance.
Crofts was amazing in the 800-metre, beating her own time by two seconds, and achieved an automatic qualification in Nationals with a time of 2:08.52. The 800 was a good race for the Clan women as four other members gaining provisional qualifications for the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.
In the medley relay race, which is different than a regular relay race in that all the members run different distances for a total of 4,000 metres, the women’s team dominated. The team consisted of Crofts, Michaela Kane, Lindsey Butterworth, and Chantal Desch. They finished in sixth behind
a few NCAA Division I powerhouses like Oregon, Brigham Young, and Washington but are the best in Division II with a time of 11:41.78.
Desch also competed in the 400-metre, proving herself with a provisional National qualification and topping the GNAC standings in a time of 57.56. Andrea Abrams earned a GNAC standard in hurdles. In the field, three women earned provisional GNAC standard scores. Mercedes Rhodes and Charlotte Crombeen finished 23rd and 24th in long jump with lengths of 5.13 and 5.10-metres respectively.
Finally, Jade Richardson finished 23rd in shot put. The men were less successful, but still had a good showing. Cam Proceviat gained a GNAC automatic standard in the 800-metre, in a time of 1:56.02. Adam Reid and James Young did the same in the mile race. The men’s medley team consisting of Keir Forster, Stuart Ellenwood, Reid and Young, finished in a time of 10:10.43. They came eighth in the mixed field of NCAA divisions.
Their time is second in the GNAC behind Alaska Anchorage. Luca Moliner finished 17th in the weight throw, and was the only man in the afield for SFU to get a GNAC standard score. On the lighter side, SFU’s coach Tom Dickson finished first in the mixed 60-metre dash with a time 7.66 seconds.
