Women's field team enjoys success

By Bhagwat Kumar     4/4/12 7:00pm

As the majority of the Rice campus found itself enveloped in the frenzy of Beer Bike, the track and field team was busy competing at the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays, which were held at Mike A. Myers track on March 31. The women's team looked to build on its success at the Victor Lopez Classic last week. Junior Sharae Robinson continued her run of impressive performances, placing fourth overall in the discus. Robinson threw a season-best 48.2 meters, beating her previous season high of 47.9 meters and falling just short of her all-time best mark of 48.66 meters.

Robinson also remains steadfast in her goal of setting a new personal record, as she said after last week's events. She got closer to her goal after this week and will look to continue to do so in the future.

Freshman Claire Uke also performed well, finishing 10th overall in the shot put with a mark of 14.9 meters, a week after finishing second at the Victor Lopez Classic.

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"I'm always looking to improve my marks," Uke said last week.

She stayed true to her word, bettering her mark from the Victor Lopez Classic by 0.13 meters.

Sophomore Farrah Madanay also placed 24th in the 5,000-meter with a time of 18:32.14, while junior Candace Springer posted a 100-meter preliminary season-best time of 11.98.

The Owls medley relay quartet of sophomore Halsey Fowler, Springer, junior Lilian Nwora and junior Sarah Mason finished 15th overall, while long-distance runner senior Becky Wade placed sixth overall in the 1,500-meter run but third among collegiate athletes. Wade's performance was particularly impressive, as she traditionally competes in much longer events, and is a 10k All-American. Wade's performance reminds of Nwora's last week, when she ran the 800-meter for the first time but still won, displaying the team's ability to adapt to changing circumstances and progress as the year continues.

"My teammates never cease to amaze me," Nwora said. "Our abilities are infinite."

The team has been continuing its growth and development as the year progresses, and its members are becoming fully healthy and improving with each performance. The group will look to extend its success this upcoming weekend at the Texas State Invitational.

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