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Tuesday, March 19, 2024
The Observer

Notre Dame earns four individual wins at Louisville Invitational

On Friday, Notre Dame faced off against squads from Louisville, Purdue and Michigan State at the Louisville Invitational. The meet, originally scheduled for Saturday, was held a day earlier in anticipation of inclement weather. The Irish set numerous personal records Friday to help build momentum for the fast-approaching postseason, as the ACC outdoor championship now lies less than a month away.

Both the men’s and women’s teams finished fourth overall, and four Irish athletes picked up individual wins on the day.

The Irish women picked up two of those four victories on the track. Senior middle distance runner Jessica Harris, competing in just her second meet of the spring season, earned a win in the 1500-meter run, finishing the race in 4:26.44, nearly three seconds ahead of the second-place finisher. Senior Jordan Shead also picked up a win, her first win of the outdoor season, in the 400-meter hurdles. Finishing with a season-best time of 59.90 seconds, Shead now holds the eighth-best mark in the event among ACC competitors.

Junior distance runner Rachel DaDamio also had a strong showing in the 1500-meter run, finishing in 4:29.53 to earn a third-place finish. Freshman Annasophia Keller also picked up a top-three finish in the 3000-meter steeplechase, placing second with a time of 10:52.95.

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Irish senior Samantha Murray competes in the 800-meter run during the Meyo Invitational on Feb. 3 at Loftus Sports Center.
Irish senior Samantha Murray competes in the 800-meter run during the Meyo Invitational on Feb. 3 at Loftus Sports Center.


One of the Irish women’s 4x400-meter relay teams earned second place overall as well, finishing with a time of 3:45.72. The squad was made up of sophomore Madysen Hunter, senior Samantha Murray, sophomore Michaela Butler and freshman Erin Sullivan.

On the men’s side, graduate student Elijah Silva earned fourth place in the 1500-meter run, finishing the race with a time of 3:55.32. Junior Anthony Williams tallied a top-three finish in the 3000-meter steeplechase, finishing with a time of 9:33.29.

Notre Dame earned its other two individual wins on the infield. Graduate student Nathan Richartz continued his undefeated streak in the men’s pole vault, picking up his fourth victory in as many meets, this time clearing the bar at 5.40 meters. Sophomore thrower Logan Kusky placed first in the men’s hammer throw with a distance of 58.39 meters, which was short of his personal-best mark he set at the Hurricane Invitational on March 16 but good for his best placement in a meet this season.

Junior thrower Daniel Hardiman earned third place in the shot put with a throw of 15.50 meters. Freshman teammate John Stefan finished right behind Hardiman in fourth place, throwing for a distance of 15.45 meters. Hardiman also finished fifth in the discus throw, setting a personal record with a throw of 49.97 meters.

On the women’s side, a pair of Irish athletes also found success in the shot put. Graduate student Indi Jackson placed second in the event with a throw of 15.72 meters, while sophomore Abbey Kapitan placed third with a throw of 15.19 meters.

Freshman thrower Rachel Tanczos picked up third place in the discus throw, setting a new personal-best  mark with a throw of 49.95 meters.

The Irish will next compete when they split the squad up for the upcoming weekend’s two events, the Virginia Challenge and the Michael Johnson Invitational. Some of the squad will travel to Charlottesville, Virginia, next weekend for the two-day Virginia Challenge. Friday’s slate of events kicks off at 4 p.m., while Saturday’s events will begin at 10 a.m. Other members of the squad will compete in the Michael Johnson Invitational in Waco, Texas, which is a one-day event set to start Saturday at 11 a.m.