In only the fourth meet of the season freshman Lauren Lodge broke her third school record this time in the 3000-meter run Saturday at the Cal State Northridge Relays.
With a time of 10:05.44 Lodge placed first ahead of 13 other runners and beat the past record of 10:21.15 held by then-junior Courtney Young. Lodge credits her breakthrough race to the other runners.
“The other runners took it out at a perfect pace so I was just able to sit on their heels for the first mile or so and let them block the wind which I think really helped me during my race Lodge said.
I’m just glad I didn’t have to run the 5k … I give major props to everyone on our team that tried it for the first time this weekend.”
Lodge who is quickly becoming the star of the women’s track team has twice beaten her own record in the 1500-meter run. Her personal best is now 4:40.03. Teamed with freshmen Elizabeth Coe and Rebecca Clark as well as senior Brieanna Carroll on Saturday Lodge helped lower the school record in the distance medley relay with a time of 12:49.93.
Lodge wasn’t the only one to break records this Saturday.
The 4×400-sprint medley team consisting of freshman Erica Gove and sophomores Bridgette Walker Lauren Batterham and Amanda Ajdari also broke two school records at the meet. They finished the sprint medley with a time of 1:52.11 three seconds faster than the previous record of 1:55.23 which was held for two years. In the 4×200-meter relay the same team recorded a time of 1:45.99. The previous record was 1:49.95.
Gove said she hopes the rest of the season will continue to be as successful as the first four meets.
“Hopefully everyone will show up to the rest of the meets like they have to these past ones Gove said.
Walker also ran in the 1,600-sprint medley relay with freshman Lauren Batterham, sophomore Catherine Haas and senior Hilary Field. Together they shattered the school record of 4:40.91 with a time of 4:36.07.
In men’s track, sophomore Conrad Wozniak took third in the 5K with a time of 15:22.46. Unfortunately, the men’s track team will not be continuing next year.
Wozniak said he was disappointed but optimistic.
I was bummed out Wozniak said. I like running track but I was glad that cross [country]?is still going to be there. After I thought about it for a bit there are? other options and it’s not the end of the world…”
In the field Sophomore Aneka Myles recorded a personal best in the shot put with a distance of 10.71 meters. The track team will compete this Saturday at the USC Invitational.