TOWSON, Md. – A busy weekend is ahead, as the Towson University indoor track and field team split up for two separate meets.
Some of the Tigers are going to the Don Kirby Elite Invitational, hosted by New Mexico. The two day meet is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 13-14 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The rest of the Tigers will head out to the David Hemery Valentine Invitational on Friday, Feb. 14 in Boston, Massachusetts.
For sophomore Princeton, New Jersey native,
Hayley Horvath this upcoming meet is very exciting because it's another chance for her to represent Towson. She will be competing at the Don Kirby Elite Invitational.
The pre-nursing major only started competing with track her sophomore year of high school and has already edged her name in the Towson record books.
"I am excited for every meet because it is another opportunity to show off how hard we have been training," said Horvath.
"For outdoor season, I am looking forward to Conferences and hopefully regions and nationals."
Horvath says the first couple of meets were a tad rough but week after week the level of improvement has been shown. Even at Towson's last meet she broke her own indoor record with a height of 4.07 meters (13' 4.25").
The goals that Horvath have include both indoor and outdoor and they are definitely what coaches like to hear.
"Personally I hope to defend my title at conferences and score some point for the team," said Horvath.
"Along with that I hope to qualify for NCAA regionals and nationals. As a team hopefully we can bring everything together and win conferences, as well as get some more representation at regionals."
Fun insight on Hayley Horvath: "Before every meet I listen to country music, I know it does not sound like pump up music but it does the job for me," said Horvath. "The night before I stretch and do some recovery to make sure my legs are ready to go. My motivation is to get better each time I'm on the runway and to be as good as I know I can be. "
#PPPyouknowme
Tigers Last Time Out
Towson had numerous school record broken at the two day Penn State National meet on Friday, Jan. 31-Feb. 1.
Just a few highlights consisted of:
Crystal Johnson winning heat 2 with a school record in the 60-meter preliminaries with a time of 7.45, leading a trio of Tigers who made the semi-final round.
Christina Riggins also ran a personal-best 7.61.
Shamika Burton finished with a time of 25.39, while Riggins finished with a time of 25.58 in the 200-meter dash.
Paige Keefer ran a collegiate personal-record in the 600-meter, with a time of 1:35.75
Hayley Horvath broke her own indoor record with a height of 4.07 meters (13' 4.25") in the pole vault.
Lauren Coleman finished the shot put as the top collegian and new school record holder with a mark of 16.12m (52-10.75").
Elisia Lancaster finished in third and is now second all-time with a throw of 19.35m (63-06.00") in the weight throw.
In the Record Books
- The week of Jan. 14, freshman Adia Cavalier set a new school record in the triple jump. Her 12.03m jump broke Wilhelmina Austin's jump from 2017. Then she broke her own school record at the Towson Invitational on Jan. 19, with a 12.29m (40'4") mark.
- Hayley Horvath set a new record at the Towson Invitational as well in the pole vault with a 4.02m (13' 2.25").
Mid-Atlantic Rankings
- The Tigers started 2020 in the top 5 of the USTFCCCA Mid-Atlantic Region, announcement went out this past Monday, Jan. 27.
- The next week, the Tigers moved up two ranks to the number third spot.
Scouting the Tigers
Towson returns 34 student-athletes from last year including seven seniors in
Zellie Charles,
Shelby Francis,
Melissa Graham,
Victoria Jones-Alleyne,
Michella Obijiaku,
Helnsarah Penda and L.Coleman. This senior class has already made a name for their selves in the different Towson record books and will contribute to making the 2019-20 season one to remember.
Towson also brings in 11 freshman that help round out the roster and will bring some depth to each event.
Tigers in the Community
The Towson University athletics department deems community service as one of its highest priorities to give back to the Greater Baltimore area.
- For the 7th consecutive year, the department exceeded 10,000 hours of community service to the Greater Baltimore region, finishing with 11,162 hours of community service in the 2018-19 academic season.
- Towson ranked #1 nationally for community service and won the 2018 National Championship for Community Service through the Helper Helper NCAA Team Works Competition.
- Towson had a 97% participation rate, attended 118 community service opportunities and volunteered with 19 organizations.
- Towson won the 2018 Volunteer of the Year Award from Susan G. Komen of Maryland.
Looking Ahead
Towson will be competing at the Fastrack Last Chance Invitational in Staten Island, New York on Friday, Feb. 28.
