Princeton University
Dr. Sander Invitational Columbia Challenge
Several Record Setting Performances For Women's Track & Field At Dr Sander Invitational
January 27, 2024 | Women's Track and Field
NEW YORK, NY - On a thrilling opening day of the Dr. Sander Invitational at the prestigious Armory, the stage was set for a series of impressive performances and personal records.
As a highlight of the meet, the Princeton multi-event athletes had a 1-2-3 sweep in the Dr Sander Invitational pentathlon with Julia Jongejeugd leading the charge. Jongejeugd sets her place in the record book with the 2nd all-time point total for Princeton in the pentathlon with 3805.
"This is a terrific meet for our program," said head coach Michelle Eisenreich. "We had a number of personal best but more importantly we won a number of events and saw a lot of great competitive efforts. Some of the biggest highlights were our pentathletes. The trio went 1-2-3 with Amy Aririguzoh doing their first pentathlon ever. It was really cool to see the team rally around them. Another really cool aspect to this meet was we had some travel issues that required the team to be creative in getting to the venue. It involved trains, planes and automobiles and despite all of the chaos and uncertainty around getting there, people came to the meet and performed really well. I love the fact that our team showed so much composure, so much competitive spirit, and we're really hitting good marks. We're really looking forward to February and some terrific meets on the calendar."
Day 1 - Friday, Jan. 26
Kicking off the action, Bri Mponzi showcased her sprinting prowess in the 60m, crossing the finish line with a swift time of 7.56 seconds, securing a commendable third place. It was a remarkable achievement, considering her personal best and the current school record stands at 7.55 seconds, a feat she accomplished back in 2023 at Heps.
Shifting the focus to a field event, Siniru Iheoma delivered a standout shot put performance. Launching the shot to an impressive distance of 15.24 meters in the finals, the junior not only clinched victory for the Tigers but also marked a new indoor personal best.
The relay events took center stage as the distance medley relay A team from Princeton, featuring the dynamic quartet of Maggie Liebich (1200), Hannah Riggins (400), Maddie Cramer (800), and Fiona Max (1600), seized the spotlight. Clocking in at 11:23.61, their stellar performance propelled them to the ninth position on the all-time list, a testament to their outstanding prowess in the relay discipline.
In the individual event, Addie Asante left her mark in the 60m hurdles, achieving a personal record and securing the seventh spot on the all-time list with an impressive time of 8.64.
The long jump witnessed Georgie Scoot's athletic prowess in full display, as she soared to a commendable fifth-place finish with an impressive leap of 5.92 meters.
The pole vault event unfolded with Tessa Mudd's stellar performance, as she cleared a height of 4.20 meters, clinching the top spot and adding another victory to the Tigers' impressive day of competition. The atmosphere at the Armory was electric for the Tigers and the athletes and coaches used this momentum to propel them to the second day of competition of the Dr. Sander Invitational.
Day 2 - Saturday, Jan. 27
Julia Jongejeugd emerged as a standout performer, claiming two first-place finishes in the women's pentathlon. In the fiercely competitive 60m hurdles, Princeton dominated the podium with Julia Jongejeugd seizing the top spot, clocking an impressive time of 8.72. Hot on her heels, Shantell Kwofie secured second place with a time of 8.81.
Transitioning seamlessly to the high jump, Julia continued her winning streak, attaining another first-place finish with a new college personal record of 1.61m (5-03.25). The dynamic duo of Shantell and Julia returned to the podium in the pentathlon shot put, with Shantell claiming the first position with a mark of 12.89m (42-3.50) and Julia securing second place with 12.57m (41-3.00).
Meanwhile, in the women's weight throw, a trio of participants achieved personal bests, rewriting the record books. Angela McAuslan-Kelly stood tall at the Armory, seizing victory in the women's weight category with a new personal record of 19.60 meters (64-03.75). This stellar performance catapulted her to the second-best performer of Princeton's all-time and sets the stage for a potential challenge to the school record. Annika Kelly made her mark as well with a distance of 18.42m (60-05.25) and securing a commendable fifth place. Another record setter of the day was Katie Peterson, who etched her name in the annals of personal achievements with a new best mark of 17.80m (58-04.75).
The narrative continued with Maggie Liebich's run in the women's 800m, where she clocked in at 2:10.18, her indoor best. This performance earned her a well-deserved fourth place finish, placing her tantalizingly close to breaking into the Princeton top-10 list, trailing by less than a second. Olivia Martin followed in the 800m with time of 2:12.44, her lifetime best. Tsion Yared notably clocked in at 9:29.26 in the 3000m race. This performance not only surpassed her previous personal and give her a career best but also secured her a 5th place finish in the event. Also competing in the 3000m, Anna McNatt had a huge lifetime best mark of 9:33.64. Finally, in the mile run, Hannah Riggins, the freshman, made her mark to capture a first place finish with a time of 4:44.22 and move into 10th all-time.
The Princeton high jumpers both had season bests with Maddy Wood jumping a 1.75m (5-08.75), close to her 1.77m personal best, and Audrey Kirkutis jumping a 1.65m (5-05.00).
The day unfolded as a tapestry of triumphs and personal bests, showcasing the prowess and determination of these exceptional Princeton student-athletes.
Up Next
The women's track and field team will travel to Sykes and Sabock at Penn State on February 3rd.
Players Mentioned
