April 10, 2016
By Lizzie Mikes
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Saturday at the University of Notre Dame, students were treated to a snow storm and temperatures ranging from 27 to 35 degrees throughout the day. The date? April 9.
1,867 miles away, the Fighting Irish track and field team was enjoying temperatures ranging from 63 degrees, to a high of 83 on their second day of action at the Sun Angel Track Classic at Arizona State University. High points for the Irish included a myriad of top-five finishes, including two first-place victories from Margaret Bamgbose.
Margaret Bambose earned two first-place victories Saturday in Arizona.
“Overall, I am happy with the results from this meet,” head coach Alan Turner said. “I was optimistic that we could break a few school records in sprints and hurdles. That didn’t happen, but I am still satisified with the results. Our throwers had a very good meet, and the sprinters were solid as well.”
Bamgbose crossed in first place in the 400m dash (premiere field) with a time of 52.56, and then anchored the 4x400m relay team comprised of Parker English, Kaila Barber and Jordan Shead, finishing in 3:36.65. Barber, English and Bambose also joined Kyla Lewis in the 4x100m relay (premiere field), finishing fourth (44.75).
“Margaret’s next big meet will be the Virginia Challenge – she was disappointed not running under 51 in the 400m this weekend, but did split 51.8 for a come-from-behind win in the 4x400m relay,” Turner said. “Hopefully, she will compete in Rio in the 400m and the 4x400m relay. She’s already made the Olympic Standard of 52.00, and she is capable of running sub-51 seconds. Her personal record is 51.37, and she has split 50.06 in the relay. It’s exciting to see just how fast and how far she can go.”
Barber and Shead also raced individually in the 400m hurdles, with Barber taking second overall (57.85) and Shead finishing 10th (1:00.89). English (fifth, 24.74) and Lewis (12th, 24.96) competed in the 200m dash, while Lewis (fifth, 12.03) and Allison Bartoszewicz (seventh, 12.04) raced alongside each other in the 100m dash.
Other races that featured Irishwomen included the 400m dash, where Payton Miller finished 19th overall (56.71), and the 100m hurdles, where Notre Dame alum and current volunteer assistant coach Jade Barber came in second (13.07).
Moving to the field events, Indi Jackson had another strong weekend, placing second in the women’s shot put (14.88m) and 13th overall in the discus throw event (41.51m). On the men’s side, Anthony Shivers finished in eighth place in the discus throw (premiere field), throwing a distance of 52.67m. Hunter Holton finished 13th in the high jump (2.00m), adding to Shivers’ and Nick Hauser’s results in the hammer throw from Friday evening.
“Nick Hauser had a very good meet,” Turner commented on the field portion of the meet. “He set a personal best in the hammer throw of 60.73 meters, for the No. 3 all-time mark in Notre Dame history. Coming off a back injury during the indoor season, he has now recovered and threw great. Indi Jackson also threw a personal best in the shot put, and moved to No. 3 on the all-time list as well. She should easily get over the 15m mark, and hopefully surpass 50 feet this season.”
On the track, current Irishman Drake Stimson crossed in 54.31 in the 400m hurdles, and volunteer assistant coach Chris Giesting – who won the gold medal running at the IAAF Indoor World Championships a few weeks ago – placed third in the 400m dash (premiere field) with his 45.88 race.
Competing at the University of Arizona in the Jim Click Invitational, multi-event athletes Carly Loeffel and Brent Swanberg represented the Irish in the women’s heptathlon and men’s decathlon, respectively. Loeffel won the heptathlon, scoring 5,329 points, while Swanberg finished in fifth place with 5,333 points.
The Irish are next in action on April 16, running at the ACC/Big Ten Challenge hosted by the University of Louisville. For up-to-the-minute action, follow the team’s social media accounts on Twitter (@NDXCTF) and Facebook (Notre Dame Cross Country/Track & Field).
W 100m Hurdles
- Jade Barber 13.07
W 400m Dash
- Payton Miller 56.71
W 100m Dash
- Kyla Lewis 12.03
7. Allison Bartoszewicz 12.04
W 400m Hurdles
- Kaila Barber 57.85
10. Jordan Shead 1:00.89
M 400m Hurdles
- Drake Stimson 54.31
W Discus Throw
- Indi Jackson 41.51m
M Discus Throw – PREMIERE
- Anthony Shivers 52.67m
W 4x100m relay – PREMIERE
- Barber, English, Lewis, Bamgbose 44.75
W 200m dash
- Parker English 24.74
12. Kyla Lewis 24.96
M High Jump
- Hunter Holton 2.00m
W Shot Put
- Indi Jackson 14.88m
W 400m Dash – PREMIERE
- Margaret Bamgbose 52.56
M 400m Dash – PREMIERE
- Chris Giesting 45.88
W 4x400m relay
- English, Barber, Shead, Bamgbose 3:36.65
W Heptathlon (at Jim Click Invite)
- Carly Loeffel 5,329 pts.
M Decathlon (at Jim Click Invite)
5. Brent Swanberg 5,333 pts.
— ND —
Lizzie Mikes serves as Media Services Coordinator at the University of Notre Dame. A 2013 graduate of Johnson & Wales University, she oversees credential management and is the athletic communications director for Fighting Irish men’s and women’s swimming and diving and track and field. She has assisted with numerous NCAA postseason events hosted by Notre Dame, and is heavily involved in the day-to-day tasks of the athletic communications office.