ATLANTA, Ga. - The Lady Roadrunner Track and Field team spent a couple of days in Atlanta competing at the Emory Thrills in the Hills Invitational. It was a battle against dozens of teams from as far away as Michigan.  It was a struggle against mother nature as well. The air temperature was nice for a track meet, but the 35 mile per hour gusts of headwind that seemed to show up every time a Lady Bird approached the final straightaway was a worthy adversary. In the end, the Roadrunners fared well with a lot of personal bests and a handful of school records.
 
RECAP
The meet started with the Women's Javelin. Briana Ray began the day by increasing the school-record in the event by throwing 15.84 meters. Bri is ambidextrous and decided to try her right hand at this meet, and it proved to be a good decision. One event, one athlete, one personal best.
 
The first running event on Friday for the Roadrunners was the 1500-Meter Run. Junior Kathryn Vradenburgh managed to cut two seconds from her own school-record as she finished 3^rd in 4:47.89. Behind her, junior Kate Roberts ran a smart race and finished three seconds faster than ever before (5:05.97). It was good enough for 15^th place in the competitive field. Two events, three athletes, three personal bests. It was great way to begin the meet.
 
The next event for the Lady Birds was the 3,000-Meter Steeplechase where the starting field included four Roadrunners. 800-Meter SSAC Indoor Champion junior Rebecca Poe went down when an opponent stumbled on a barrier in front of her. In trying to avoid stepping on the downed athlete, Becca landed awkwardly on her foot and sustained an injury that would not allow her to continue. The other three in the event, junior Haley Tillery, freshman Ella Coley, and sophomore Kayla Mattox had great races. Haley broke the school-record for the event by a whopping nine seconds when she finished 8^th overall in 12:14. Ella ran one of the fastest ever Roadrunner Steeplechase debuts when she finished 12^th in 13:26. Kayla, also running the event for the first time, ran an outstanding 13:44, good for 13^th place. Three events, six athletes, six personal bests.
 
Immediately following the Steeplechase was the 200-Meter Dash where sophomore Briana Ray lowered her personal best to 32.46. Four events, six athletes (Bri twice), seven personal bests.
 
Senior Alex Gass was up next in the 5,000-Meter Run. By this time the wind was strong, and it was tough to battle for 12 ½ laps. She ran in the fastest heat and managed 17^th place finish in the tough field coming across the line in 20:00. It was a great effort in tough conditions.
 
Sophomore Riley Jo Ford went to the starting line next in the 10,000-Meter Run. If the 5K was tough, the 10K was twice as tough. Riley managed to run the second fastest 10K time in Dalton State history despite the conditions, finishing second overall in 39:07.
Friday wrapped up with the Discus Throw. Sophomore Suzana Rivera managed to finish 26^th overall with a throw of 25.84 meters.
 
Saturday morning began with Bri going back to the starting line, this time for the 100-Meter Dash. She lowered her personal best to 14.90 and finished 23^rd.
 
The first relay of the day sent Kate Roberts, Kayla Mattox, Haley Tillery, and Kathryn Vradenburgh to battle with nine other teams. The Lady Birds represented the school well finishing 5^th overall despite missing their SSAC 800-Meter Champion. Their time was only a few seconds off their last meet.
 
The two freshmen, Giselle Dominguez and Ella Coley competed next in the Open 1500-Meter Run. Both ran personal bests with Giselle finishing 3^rd overall in 5:22 and Ella 11^th in 5:47. It was a good effort from both of them.
 
Two athletes toed the line for the 800-Meter Run for the Lady Birds. Kathryn Vradenburgh ran an even split 2:26 which was good enough for 10^th overall and 2^nd in her heat. Kayla Mattox ran 2:48 and finished 39^th overall in the field of 60.
 
Riley Jo Ford and Alex Gass ran in the penultimate event of the day, the Invitational 3,000-Meter Run. They battled each other to the line, finishing less than a half-second apart in 7^th and 8^th place overall.
 
The team of Kate Roberts, Giselle Dominguez, Haley Tillery, and Kathryn Vradenburgh finished the day off by just missing the school-record in the 4X400 Meter Relay. The four ladies each ran well and finished fairly high in a sprinter's event even though they are all distance runners. It was a good way to end a meet!
 
QUOTES FROM COACH
Comments From Coach Dean Thompson:
"It was a good meet for us this weekend. We had a lot of personal bests, which means we're getting better every week. That's what it is all about. The conditions were awful. That means we would have been even better under better conditions. That's a great comfort for me and for them. I'm really looking forward to the last two meets of the year."
 
"Bri competed in four events this weekend and she is getting better in each of them. Suzana has not had many chances to throw this year and she had to throw in the dark this week, but she did well despite the adversity."
 
"Our middle-distance crew ran well. Kathryn and Kate looked really good running their fastest races of the year. Giselle and Ella were outside their comfort zones running the 1500, but they looked really good doing it. I was really proud of our middle-distance performances."
 
"Riley ran an impressive 10K. It was tough to face that wind every lap for 25 laps, but she ran a really solid race despite the conditions. Alex also battled the wind well in the 5K. I felt like she did a good job with what she had in front of her."
 
"The Steeplechase was a great race. Haley looked great running the fastest in school history. She looked stronger than I have ever seen her. She is going to have a tough battle at the conference championship, and she looks up to the challenge, for sure. Ella ran a great first race, and you can tell there is a lot more improvement to be had. With more work and experience clearing the barriers, she is going to get a lot better at it. It looks like the Steeplechase may be her best event. Kayla also did a great job in here first try at the event. It was her best race of the season, and I'm sure she will be better too with more experience."
 
"Overall, I like the competitive edge these ladies are honing. I feel like they learn a little about racing every time on the track and it makes them better the next time. They are great students in the classroom, and the habits they have formed as students also serve them well as students of their sport."
 
"We only have one more meet before the Conference Championship. I like where we are headed!"
 
UP NEXT
The Lady Roadrunners will compete again on Saturday, April 16 when they make the short trek back to Berry College for the Berry Invitational.
 
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