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Amanda Vestri broke a meet record in the 10,000-meter and the Orange secured seven top-five finishes at the Virginia Challenge and War Eagle Invitational on Friday and Saturday. 

Vestri (32:43.15) won the women’s 10,000-meter by 41 seconds in her outdoor track debut for Syracuse, which was also the first time she ran the 10k for the Orange. She participated in the NCAA Cross Country Championships in March, but the track meet was her first since winning the 5,000-meter at the ACC Indoor Championships in February. 

Despite winning by such a large margin, the meet record wasn’t Vestri’s personal best in the 10,000-meter — she set that in 2019, at Iowa State. 

On the men’s side, JP Trojan (28:55.00) beat his personal best in the 10k Invitational by almost a minute to finish in third place. Joe Dragon (29:28.83) and Alex Comerford (30:06.09) followed in 11th and 18th, respectively.

In the open section of the men’s 10,000-meter, freshman Silas Derfel (29:28.39) also took third place, with senior Dominic Hockenbury (29:57.79) following in 14th. 

Earlier on Friday, at the Virginia Challenge, Justus Holden-Betts (10:34.00) set a personal best and finished 12th in in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase. She won the event at the Ocean State Invitational on April 9.

In the women’s 5,000-meter, senior Annie Heffernan (16:07.88) led the Orange with a 12th-place finish. Abigail Spiers (16:20.89) and Emma Eastman (17:07.36) both set personal bests, too. 

For the men’s 5,000-meter, juniors Matthew Scrape (14:16.21) and Nathan Lawler (14:17.49) finished in the top 40, with redshirt senior Simon Smith (14:27.40) finishing in 41st.

At the War Eagle Invitational on Friday and Saturday, several Orange sprinters set personal bests. Kayli Jones (4:48.64) finished in 11th for the 1500-meter, and freshman Kevin Robertson (3:54.83) placed 13th in his Syracuse outdoor track debut on the men’s side.

In the 100-meter hurdles, Shaleah Colaire (13.74) dropped to fifth place after finishing first and second at the Hurricane Alumni Invitational last weekend. Colaire (1:00.76) also ran in the 400-meter hurdles, finishing in fifth again. Freshman Ashley Wallace (14.64) placed 13th.

In the men’s 110-meter hurdles, Jamil Adams (14:43) took fourth place and set a personal best in his first outdoor track action in three years. Anthony Vazquez (14.46) followed in fifth, topping his mark in last weekend’s Hurricane Alumni Invitational. Vazquez (22.83) also raced in the 200-meter, finishing in 34th. David Peters (15.01) finished in 10th in his outdoor debut.

In the women’s 400-meter, freshman Kennedy Tarley (58.65) struggled to a 16th-place finish. Tarley won the 400-meter last weekend at the Ocean State Invitational but improved upon her time this race.

At the women’s 100-meter, senior Eunice Boateng (11.92) placed 12th in her first race since the ACC Indoor Championships in February. Boateng (24.13) also raced in the 200-meter and finished in 10th place. Orange graduate and 2016 Olympian Flings Owusu-Agyapong entered in the 100-meter race but did not finish.

In the women’s 800-meter, junior Bearett Tarris (2:21.10) placed 22nd after entering last weekend but not starting.

Published on April 17, 2021 at 5:50 pm

Contact Connor: cpignate@syr.edu