W&M Women's Track and Field Qualifies Four to ECAC Championships Saturday at UVA

Natalie Baird Resets Own School Record in the Discus, Frosh Mark in the Shot Put

04/11/09 9:35PM

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - The William and Mary women's track and field team wrapped its weeked of competition at Virginai's Lou Onesty Invitational by qualifying three athletes and the 4x400m relay to the ECAC Championships, and also set four all-time top-three marks.

Complete Results

Freshman sensation Natalie Baird (Sterling, Va.) broke her own school and freshman records in the discus, throwing 152-10 (46.58 meters) to requalify for the ECAC Championships while placing third in the competition Saturday. Baird also broke the Tribe's freshman outdoor record in the shot put, recording a put of 43-9 (13.33m) for fourth place.

Junior Nicole Kazuba (Chantilly, Va.) continued to establish herself as the best pole-vaulter in the region, winning the pole vault despite gusty wind conditions with an ECAC-qualifying 12-3.5 (3.75m). Senior Ashley Madonick (Seaside Park, N.J.) also punched her ticket to the ECAC Championships, running a career-fast 55.95 seconds to take third in the 400m dash. The mark improves her standing as the third-fastest quartermiler in school history.

Madonick would also play an integral part in qualifying W&M's 4x400m relay for the ECAC meet, taking the baton on the anchor leg to bring the Tribe home with the day's top time of 3:50.93. Also racing on the relay was classmate Mallory Hogan (West Hartford, Conn.), sophomore Katie Guevel (Burlington, Kan.), and lead-runner Dana Harvey (Mechanicsville, Va.).

Harvey also shone individually, taking third in the 400m hurdles in a career-best 1:02.76. The time, just behind the ECAC-qualifying standard of 1:02.54, shot her up the Tribe's all-time top-10 list to stand second behind only Kim Baumbach's 1:01.14 run in 1990.

Other notable performances on the day include two event wins. Junior Ashley Williams (Williamsburg, Va.) won the shot put with a put of 44-6 (13.56m), and redshirt-freshman Kelsey Budd (Oakton, Va.) won her first-ever attempt at the 3,000m steeplechase in 11:45.34.

As well, junior Carly Morse (Sumerduck, Va.) was third in the shot put with a put of 44 feet (13.41m), and sophomore Ariel Burbey (Blacksburg, Va.) was fifth in the 800m with a time of 2:16.31. Guevel qualified to the finals of the 100m hurdles despite a very strong (6.5 meters/second) head wind, running 14.64, and finished eighth in the final heat in 15.04 seconds.

William and Mary will look to defend its Colonial Athletic Association title next weekend at the Conference Championships, hosted by Towson University Friday and Saturday, April 17-18.