History Made! Elon wins inaugural CAA Indoor Track & Field Championship

The Elon University indoor track & field team lagged 18.5 points behind Northeastern after day one of the CAA Indoor Track & Field Championship at Virginia Beach Sports Center. But the Phoenix struck early on day two, took the lead with an inspired effort in the mile, and then held off a late charge from Hampton to win the inaugural CAA Indoor Track & Field Championship Thursday.

Elon won just one event championship, in the mile, but scored points in all 18 events over the course of the two days. That depth paid off for the Phoenix, a team that entered the meet in an uncharacteristic underdog role. Elon has won two consecutive CAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships and four straight CAA Cross Country Championships but was ranked third in the CAA heading into the meet.

How it happened

Entering day two of the CAA Championship Thursday, Northeastern led with 57 points, while Elon had 38.5 to sit in second place. But the first running event of the day, the mile, flipped the meet in a hurry.

• Jette Beermann won Elon’s only individual CAA title with a 4:56.43 mile for 10 points. But teammates Anna Twomey, Leandra Lorenz and Hannah Miller also scored big for the Phoenix by finishing third, fourth and sixth. In total, Elon earned 24 points to take the lead.
• Elon built upon the lead as Kalli’Ana Botelho finished fifth in the 60 hurdles and Piper Jons added a school record 54.28 in the 400 for a runner-up finish.
  Reese Webster added a school record in the 60 (7.57 seconds) to finish third and Meghan Wilcox placed fourth.
• While Elon continued to pile on points in the 800, shot put, 200, triple jump and 3000, Hampton surged. The Pirates scored 33 combined points in the triple jump and shot put to close to within 3.5 points of Elon with just two events to go.
• In the pivotal 3200 relay, Elon’s team of Leandra Lorenz, Emily Alps, Stephanie Lair and Alison Hodgson stayed near the front throughout and finished as runner-up with a time of 9:03.52. Hampton, on the other hand, failed to place among the top eight scoring teams, clinching the team title for Elon.

Notable performances

• Jette Beermann earned the gold in the mile with a time of 4:56.43. She added a third-place finish in the 3000 as well at 9:39.72.
• Reese Webster broke her own school record in the 60 with a time of 7.57 seconds, good for third place. She set the time to beat earlier this year with a 7.60 race.

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  A day after breaking the school record in the 200, Piper Jons did the same in the 400 with a time of 54.28 seconds to end as CAA runner-up. She also had a fourth-place finish in the 200.

• Linn Hertz Saebboe set a personal best in the triple jump with a leap of 39-feet, 7 inches (12.06m). That distance ranks third in school history.
• The 3200 relay team of Leandra Lorenz, Emily Alps, Stephanie Lair and Alison Hodgson not only clinched the team championship but ran the third-fastest time in program history at 9:03.52.
• In the 60 hurdles, Kalli’Ana Botelho ran a season-best time of 8.69 seconds, good for fourth in program history. A transfer from Quinnipiac, it was Botelho’s fastest time in an Elon uniform.
• Lauryn Carlton set a PR in the shot put with a distance of 46-4.75 (14.14m), fourth-best in program history and sixth at the CAA Championship. Chelsea Wallace also threw a personal best at 43-3 (13.18m), good for ninth in school history.
• In the 3000, Beermann placed third as previously mentioned but Maggie Springer added a seventh-place finish and a personal best time of 9:43.21 to move to eighth in school history. Madison Synowiec set a PR as well in 9:55.60.

Up next

Elon turns its attention to the outdoor season in an attempt to sweep the cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field CAA championships in one year. The two-time defending CAA outdoor champions will begin with the 49er Classic, hosted by Charlotte, March 16-18, as well as the Bob Davidson Invitational at High Point March 17-18.