Notre Dame achieved mild success this weekend in the Spartan and Mississippi Invitationals, but failed to capitalize on the good weather by not setting an NCAA regional qualifying mark in any event.
Freshmen Natalie Johnson and Kelly Langhans led the way for the Irish at the very competitive Mississippi Invitational in Oxford, Miss. The duo took first and second, respectively, in the 800-meter run, but fell short of a regional qualifying mark by about four seconds.
Sophomore Joanna Schultz and Senior Brienne Davis ran well in the 200, taking fourth and fifth, respectively. Davis also continued her string of good finishes in the 100 dash, taking third place in the event and missing an NCAA qualifying mark by less than a quarter of a second.
In the field events, the Irish sent only two athletes to compete and both came away with excellent finishes.
Sophomore Elise Knutzen took third place in the javelin while Junior Alyissa Hasan grabbed sixth in the high jump.
At Michigan State's Spartan Invitational, the Irish logged a number of quality finishes.
In the 5000-distance race, junior Heidi Rocha took first place for the Irish with senior Amy Kohlmeier finishing right behind her in second. Senior Ann Mazur and sophomore Beth Tacl took fifth and sixth, respectively, to round out a strong Irish performance in the event.
In the 3000-meter steeplechase, sophomore Lindsey Ferguson and junior Becca Bauman ran away from the competition, easily taking first and second, respectively.
Sophomore Jaime Minor had a standout meet for Irish, placing well in a variety of events. Minor took second in the triple jump to go along with two seventh-place finishes in the 100- and 200-meter dashes.
In the field events, junior Anna Weber continued her dominance of the throwing events while several other Irish athletes posted solid results.
Weber blew away the competition as she took first in the shot put by almost a meter and finished a close second in the hammer throw.
Freshman jumper Jessica Sullivan tied for second place in the pole vault and Jasmine Williams finished fourth in the long jump, rounding out a dominant Irish performance in the field events.
Next weekend, Notre Dame will send athletes to the Central Collegiate Championships in West Lafayette, Ind., and the Mount SAC relays in Walnut, Calif., both of which are three-day meets.
