Dalton State Women's Track Competes At Only Indoor Meet Of The Year

  • Tuesday, January 21, 2020
  • Erik Simpson
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Dalton State Women's Track team traveled to Birmingham, Alabama to compete in their only indoor meet of the year on Sunday. The objective was to assess fitness levels and find out where they stand as the outdoor season is set to get under way in about a month. If Sunday is an indication of things to come, the Roadrunners are on their way to a good season.
 
The first event of the day was the 5,000-Meter Run, aka, the 5K. The Roadrunners sent two ladies to the starting line to compete in the 25-lap race.
Sophomore Alex Gass and senior Ana Karen Padilla did not disappoint as they ushered in a new track season with two solid performances. Alex went out hard and ran her personal best track 5K time, finishing in 19:58, which was good enough for 7th place overall. Ana Karen, who also charged out to a blistering first mile, was just a few places back in 10th place with her best track 5k in the past couple of years as she finished in 20:57.
 
The second event of the day was the Mile Run. The Roadrunners sent two freshmen to the starting line in the third heat. Kathryn Vradenburgh hung with two other front runners for the first three quarters of the race and then pulled away easily to win the heat and finish eighth overall in 5:29. The time was good enough to set a new Dalton State record for the Mile Run, erasing last year's record set by Hayley Hight. Mari Morales finished 5th in the heat and 26th overall when she crossed the line in 6:15 in her very first Mile Run. It was a good first effort.
 
The next event of the day was the 800-Meter Run where sophomore Rebecca Poe was edged out at the line in the third heat, finishing second in 2:43. It was good for 20th place overall and was an excellent start for Rebecca considering she came into the season far behind where she had been last year. Despite that fact, her time was a personal best.
 
The Roadrunners penultimate event of the day saw Freshman Mari Morales go back to the starting line to compete in the 3,000 Meter Run. Getting a good feel for the track in her first event, she was able to run 12:35, which was good enough for a seventh-place finish.
 
The final event of the day for the Roadrunners was the Distance Medley Relay. It is an event where the first leg runs 1200 meters, the second leg runs 400 meters, the third leg runs 800 meters and the anchor leg runs 1600 meters. The four participants, in order, were Alex Gass, Rebecca Poe, Ana Karen Padilla, and Kathryn Vradenburgh. It was a stellar performance as they ran close to a full minute faster than they did in the same race last year. They were also 21 seconds faster than the school record, besting the old record set by Alex Gass, Rebecca Poe, Hayley Hight, and Kay Vradenburgh. Alex put the Roadrunners in good position from the start, Rebecca and AK maintained the strong position and Kathryn was able to pass a couple of teams on the final leg to bring the team in third.
 
Overall, the team scored 12 points and finished the meet 11th out of the 16 teams represented despite the Roadrunners limiting themselves to only five participants! Junior Kay Vradenburgh, sophomore Rachel Ward, and freshman Kate Roberts were sidelined by various circumstances, but will be ready for the first regular meet of the year next month when they travel to Savannah State University.
 
Coach Dean Thompson's observations on the day:

"We had a good day. We're working on some new things and the ladies have been taken a little outside their comfort zone, but they have responded very well. I saw a few glimpses of things today that bade well for us later in the track season and will contribute to a stronger cross country season next year as well. I'm really excited about that."
 
"At the end of every meet, we have a little (very) informal ceremony to talk about the best performance of the day. It was really difficult to make that decision after this meet. I can find great positives in every performance."
 
"Mari was running in her first track ever that didn't include her running the 3200 meters. She has very little experience on the track, but that didn't stop her from getting on the line and going after it. She was nervous, but I don't think it showed. We're still trying to find out where Mari fits into the scheme of things. I'm still not sure which events will be her best. We will know by the end of the year though!"
 
"AK looks so good and is so passionate right now. I love seeing her compete. She is already far ahead of where she ended last year, which many will recall, ended in a Steeplechase Conference title where she was mere seconds away from breaking the conference meet record. Her race today have shown a couple of areas where we need to focus to get her even sharper. Expect great results from AK in her final track season."
 
"What can I say about Rebecca Poe. Just a few weeks ago, she was struggling to finish runs and today she ran her fastest 800 meters. She executed a flawless strategy by running the race much different than her normal routine. It payed off. It's great to see lessons learned in a meet like this, because that's exactly why we run this meet. Rebecca and AK are going to have a good year in the Steeplechase!"
 
"Kathryn continues to run well despite being barely recovered from a stomach bug that had her weak and really sick less than a week ago. Kathryn thrives on competition. As she gets healthy, gets into faster races, and all of her training comes together, she will have a good year. Sometimes we take Kathryn for granted because she is so talented. What people don't know about her, is that it is not just raw talent, but hard work, that makes her so good. She never lets up, and when the competition rises, she rises with it!"
 
"Alex continues to have solid races, which is what you expect from someone who works as hard as she does. We have an entire team of hard workers, and Alex is one of the most consistent workers I have ever coached. Both of her races today were top notch. If she is starting the season here, I can't wait to see where she is at the end of the season."
 
"We use this meet as measure to see if our training is on track. By that measure, we're progressing well and headed exactly where we want to be. We had three additional great athletes who were not able to compete today, so things are only going to look better for the team going forward. We just have to stay the course and keep working hard."
 
The Lady Roadrunners will have another month of training before they open the outdoor track season in the Eye Opener Invitational hosted by Savannah State in Savannah, Ga. on February 22.

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