The Irish track and field team notched several record-breaking performances this weekend at the ACC Indoor Track and Field Championships in Blacksburg, Virginia. These efforts combined to give the men’s team a fifth-place overall record. The women finished off the competition in eighth.
All eyes were on the Distance medley relays (DMRs) as they took to the track following their stellar finishes at the Alex Wilson Invitational. However, it was the women’s pentathlon event that became the highlight of the tournament. Freshman Jadin O’Brien had a dominating performance, taking first in the competition with 4,324 points. This mark not only made her the ACC women’s pentathlon champion, but it additionally broke the Notre Dame record in the event and gave O’Brien a ticket to the NCAA Championships in Birmingham. Within the pentathlon, O’Brien placed first in the high jump, shot put and 800 meters. She additionally took home personal bests in high jump (1.71 meters) and shot put (12.79 meters) and her season-best in long jump (5.88 meters).
Freshmen Alaina Brady and Madison Schmidt also placed in the top ten in the event. Brady took seventh with 3,915 points. She took home her personal best in the 800 meters (2:19.04) and tied her personal best in the 60 meter hurdles (8.53). Schmidt placed tenth (3,622 points). That included personal bests in the 60 meter hurdles (9.22) and the shot put (10.95m).
The DMRs still performed well, however. The men took home second (9:37.10) while the women came in at fourth (11:02.10). Other distance events also went well for the Irish. Graduate student Kaitlin Ryan snagged fifth in the 800m (2:06.28). Additionally, junior Olivia Markzich also came in fifth in the 3000m (9:10.76). Senior Meghan Scott placed tenth in the same event (9:24.76). In the 5000m, seniors Maddy Genner and Jacqueline Gaughan finished fifth and sixth, respectively. Genner finished in 16:17.83, and Gaughan followed at 16:27.94.
More success and record-breaking came in the men’s 5k when senior Matthew Carmody set the new ACC meet record with a time of 13:47.85. In the 3000 meters, senior Dylan Jacobs also set a meet record, as well as a facility record, with a time of 7:49.79. Additionally, sophomore Josh Methner was close behind Carmody in the 5k (13:48.07), while senior Sam Voelz came in second in the 800 meters (1:48.68).
In the field, Schmidt also took sixth in the high jump with a mark of 1.75 meters. Graduate student Rachel Tanczos placed fourth in the weight throw (21.62 meters) and eighth in the shot put (15.31 meters). Sophomore Michael Shoaf came in eighth as well in the weight throw (20.43 meters) followed by senior John Stefan in tenth (19.34 meters). Shoaf also placed fifth in the shot put (18.88 meters) while Stefan snagged tenth again in the event (17.78 meters).
Some members of the team will next head to NCAA Championships, where they will seek to close out their indoor season with even more success.
