Bellon, Del Fava, Fanning Lead UAlbany At Penn State Relays
Meet Results
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Picking up exactly where they left off after a strong cross country season, the University at Albany women’s distance runners paced the Danes to a solid opening weekend of official competition at the non-scoring Penn State Relays. Seniors Brianne Bellon, Silvia Del Fava, and Kathryn Fanning each claimed victory at the meet. Bellon won the 1,000 in 2:53.77. Del Fava won the 3,000 in 9:59.98, placing her seventh on the UAlbany all-time list. Fanning, the school record holder in the mile, won the event in 4:53.07.
UAlbany placed two runners in the top 10 in the 500, with both senior Tynelle Taylor-Chase and sophomore Dominique Claudio tying for seventh with a time of 1:17.21. They were followed by junior Kamilah Williams in 10th with a time of 1:18.03, and sophomore Aderinsola Ajala in 11th with a time of 1:18.69. Sophomore Kahlia Taylor placed fifth in the 60 with a time of 7.79 in the finals, improving on her preliminary round time of 7.93. Taylor moves from ninth to seventh on UAlbany’s all-time list. Senior Jillian Haynes also took fifth in the 200 with a time of 25.25. Finally, junior Michelle Anthony took yet another fifth place finish, in the 60 hurdles with a time of 8.66, moving herself up a spot on UAlbany’s all-time list into a tie for fifth.
Bellon was joined in the 1,000 by two freshman teammates who also placed in the top 10. Schuyler Pruyn finished fifth in 3:03.96, and Johanna Smith finished ninth in 3:13.42. Junior Molly Pezzulo placed seventh in the mile with a time of 5:21.74. The women’s distance medley relay team consisting of Bellon, Claudio, Smith, and Pruyn took third place overall with a tie of 12:31.38.
In the field events, senior Rochelle Reid took sixth place in the high jump with a mark of 5’-5”. Senior teammate Ashley Grant tied Reid’s height, but finished 11th overall due to prior failed attempts. In the pole vault, junior Toni Ann Werner placed sixth with a mark of 10’-4”. Senior Pony Sokiri took eighth in the triple jump with a mark of 36’-11.5”. Juniors Samantha Kosa and Janice Johnson placed eighth and ninth in the shot put, recording throws of 42’-3.5” and 42’-3.25” respectively. The weight throw saw sophomore Lauren Lopano take seventh place with a mark of 47’-6.5”, which places her eighth on UAlbany’s all-time list.
UAlbany will host its own home meet, the Great Dane Classic on Friday, January 17 at the Armory in New York City.