University of Richmond announces Four Spiders Earn Spots in Finals on Day 1 of Atlantic 10 Championship
AMHERST, Mass. — The Richmond Women's Track & Field team advanced four runners through preliminaries to Sunday's finals on the first day of the Atlantic 10 Championship, including a trio of runners who won their qualifying heats in the 800 meters.
Kyra Keurentjes was never pushed in the fifth and final heat, coasting to a time 2:08.56, best in the field. Kate McAndrew ran a season-best 2:09.45 to win her heat and is also headed to Sunday's final, which is scheduled for 12:45 p.m. Kayla O'Connell made a statement with an easy win in the first heat in a time of 2:11.22. The Spiders are looking for their third straight gold medal in the event after Brooke Fazio won the A-10 800m title in 2021 and 2022.
In the 400 meters, Elke van der Westhuizen sprinted to a time of 46.21, nearly a second faster than her personal best entering the race, to clinch the last spot in Sunday's final. Teammate Ginny Beringer placed 18th at 57.56 seconds while Nina Lavelle ran a personal-best 58.59 seconds and finished 23rd.
A pair of Spiders earned 10th-place finishes in event finals Saturday. The day began with Manon Stephen finishing 10th in the 10,000 meters with a time of 37:07.37, shaving nearly 10 seconds off her previous personal best. In the long jump, Morgan Crocker — Richmond's only field athlete in the competition — jumped 5.57 meters, the longest outdoor jump of her career, and placed 10th.
Allison Colflesh was Richmond's top finisher in the 3,000 meters steeplechase, placing 18th in a time of 12:01.14. In the 200 meters, van der Westhuizen was the Spider closest to earning a spot in Sunday's final. She clocked a time of 24.82 seconds and placed 14th.
Sunday's program will begin at 11:00 a.m., with the first Spiders competing at 11:20 a.m. in the 1,500 meters. ESPN Plus will broadcast the entire day of competition.
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