Sports editor Jaralynn Tammi Morellano says Tulsa had some young talent displayed in Norman.
The University of Tulsa track and field teams made some significant achievements in its outdoor season last Thursday and Friday. The team had athletes spread across the nation at two major meets. Some athletes competed at the John Jacobs Invitational in Norman, Oklahoma while others were invited to the Stanford Invitational in California. Between these two events, the Golden Hurricane athletes posted four podium finishes with 19 outdoor personal bests from both veterans and newcomers.
Over in Norman, the women’s track and field team had some standout performances. Junior middle-distance duo Sarah Hosey and Billie Rouse beat out most of the competition in the 800m and claimed second (2:12.24) and third (2:13.16), respectively. These two athletes have been stars in middle-distance events all season and their careers.
Alexis Cavin was another star of the show, the true freshman turning heads for more than just being a dual-sport athlete in track and soccer for the Golden Hurricane. Cavin finished third-place in the 200m with an impressive time of 25.65 seconds. Another freshman standout was Matilda Laidlaw who crossed the 1,500m finish line second-place with a strong time of 4:36.22.
In addition to these finishes, there were strong efforts from Raniya Laneau and Kamree Dye in the sprint events. Other long-distance women, such as Sophia McNerney, Amy Morefield, and Sara Morefield, all earned new personal bests in the 1,500m.
The Golden Hurricane men also participated in Norman, the team rostered with young but fierce runners. The Norman team had eight true freshmen representing Tulsa. The 4x400m relay team consisted of Zander Rhynes, Colin Madison, Luke Finzen, and Carson Miller. This young team clocked a 3:23.54 finish to take fourth place. Miller was a particular standout of the day, garnering a personal best of 50.08 in the 400m and finishing a swift 22.21 in the 200m.
Across the country, there were six distance runners representing Tulsa at the Stanford Invitational competing among elite national talent. Redshirt senior Shary McEvoy was as impressive as ever, delivering one of the most impressive performances of the weekend. McEvoy finished the 10,000m in 28:22.95, this finish being the eighth-fastest time in Tulsa track and field history.
Tulsa continued to dominate in the distance event, Sean Korsmo and Levi Rowan earning personal bests to make the Golden Hurricane proud. Korsmo finished with 3:48.95 in the 1,500m and Rowan finished with 14:00.36 in the 5,000m. There were also some impressive performances from Luke Birdseye and Oisin Spillane. Finally, Charlie Krasnoff hit a 10K PR of 28:46.05 in Section 2.
As seasoned veterans continue to display impressive ability and young talents beginning to step up the plate, the remainder of the track and field team’s outdoor season looks bright. Though the Hurricane athletes continue to improve and show that they are ready to compete on both a regional and national stage, their next few meets will be crucial in preparing for the NCAA qualifiers.
