The Irish track and field team returned to action this weekend with the majority of their athletes competing at the Windy City Invite in Chicago. Graduate student Kevin Berry and sophomore Carter Solomon were the two athletes that competed in the Valentine’s Invitational in Boston.
The Irish had a strong showing in Chicago in the pole vault with junior Nolan Blachowski taking second place with a mark of 4.94m.
The Irish also found success in the field with sophomore Madison Schmidt taking sixth place in the high jump with a mark of 1.73m.
The meet was highlighted by graduate student Katie Ryan, who ran a personal best time of 2:05.50 in the 800m dash. That time set a new Notre Dame indoor track and field record.
The other mid-distance runners also had productive days. In the men’s 800m dash, graduate student Nick Miller took fifth place with a time of 1:50.94. In the men’s 400m dash, sophomore Joey Dobrydney took third place with a time of 48.21. Junior Eve Balseiro led the way for the Irish women in the same event, finishing second with a time of 55.34.
The Irish also had success in the distance events with sophomore Josh Methner running 13:54.20 in the 5000m run. In the women’s 3000m, senior Katie Thronson took second place and set a new facility record with a time of 9:07.67.
The young talent of the Irish men’s distance squad was on full display in the mile race. They were led by freshman Daelen Ackley, who took second place with a time of 4:03.15. That was a new personal best for Ackley, cutting two seconds from his previous mile time. Freshmen C.J. Singleton and John Schuler also had impressive showings, crossing the lines in times of 4:04.55 and 4:10.32, respectively.
In the women’s mile, graduate student Anna Sophia Keller took sixth and set a facility record with a time of 4:37.84. Sophomore Sophie Novak also had a strong performance in the mile, finishing with a time of 4:47.60.
In the Valentine’s Invite at Boston University, sophomore Carter Solomon didn’t disappoint in the 5000m race. Solomon finished the race with a time of 13:26.11, which was good for fifth place in a highly competitive race. Solomon was the first collegiate runner to cross the line, finishing only behind professional runners. Graduate student Kevin Berry also broke 14 for the Irish, finishing the 5K race in a time of 13:52.46.
The Irish will return home this next weekend for the Alex Wilson Invitational, which will be the last regular season meet of the indoor season.
