Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Official Athletics Website

Conference Championship is 'Icing on the Cake'

Feb. 24, 2017

Results Get Acrobat Reader

By Megan Golden

NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Celebrating her 20th birthday on day two of the Atlantic Coast Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships, sophomore Anna Rohrer ran 15:38.11 to win her first individual conference track championship in the 5,000m on Friday at Loftus Sports Center.

Rohrer’s ACC championship marks the second individual conference title of her career, coming just months after she raced to first place at the 2016 ACC Cross Country Championships in Cary, North Carolina.

After finishing second in the 2015 ACC Cross Country Championships and second in the 2016 ACC Indoor Track & Field 5,000m — falling each time to graduate student Molly Seidel — Rohrer has won each event, following in Seidel’s footsteps. Rohrer, who ran a season best in the 5,000m on Friday, was greeted by reigning ACC indoor 3,000m and 5,000m champion Molly Seidel at the finish line.

The duo has won a combined eight ACC championships between cross country, the 3,000m and 5,000m indoor races, and the 5,000m outdoor event. Rohrer will look to make it nine in the 3,000m race at 2:35 p.m. ET on Saturday.

Men’s Mile Prelims

Freshman Ryan Schweizer led the way for the Irish, racing in the first heat and shaving more than five seconds off of his time for eighth place and a new personal record of 4:07.76.

Junior Billy Dolan and seniors Jacob Dumford (4:05.09) and Christopher Marco (4:05.81) followed suit, placing seventh, second and fourth, respectively, in the final heat.

Dolan (7th, 4:07.70) and Schweizer entered the meet with the 31st and 43rd-ranked times in the conference.

“It was a huge step for our men’s mid-distance program,” Irish assistant coach Sean Carlson said. “It sets us up well for the future as we return every one of those guys.”

Men’s Middle Distance

Irish seniors Patrick O’Connell and Eric Gebeke and junior Kirk Hansen each set personal-best times in the men’s 800m. O’Connell ran 1:49.58, earning fifth place and qualifying for finals.

Hansen recorded 12th place with a time of 1:50.80, while Gebeke finished 13th with a 1:50.83 mark.

Women’s Middle Distance

Following a thrilling night of distance medley relays on Thursday, the anchor of the women’s relay squad was back at it on Friday. Junior Jessica Harris, who ran an unofficial 4:30 mile in the DMR, ran 4:47.92 to earn first place in the women’s mile preliminaries.

Sophomore Kelly Hart, who has stepped up in every race she has competed in this weekend, has stunned those in attendance at Loftus. She ran her heart out in the women’s DMR on Thursday and responded with a 2:07.19 finish in the 800m on Friday, running more than three seconds faster than her previous personal record.

Harris and Hart advanced to the finals and will compete at 12:35 p.m. and 1:40 p.m., respectively.

Sprinting to the Finals

Freshman Troy Pride Jr. recorded a personal-best time of 6.77 in the 60m dash, finishing eighth overall and advancing to the finals. Pride also competed in the 200m, placing 15th with a time of 21.75.

Sophomore Zachary Zajdel recorded a time of 6.94 (20th) in the 60m and 21.84 (19th) in the 200m. Irish graduate student Tommy Grant came in 14th in the 60m dash (6.85) and 26th (22.11) in the 200m.

On the women’s side, freshman Jernaya Sharp set a personal record in the 60mH, running in 8.57. Sharp competed in the 60m dash, tying freshman Michaela Butler for 22nd place with a 7.72 mark.

Junior Jordan Shead set a new personal record in the 400m, running in 54.30.

Team Scoring Update

The Notre Dame women currently sit in sixth place overall with 23 points. The Irish trail Louisville (43.5), Florida State (37), Miami (34), Duke (27.5) and North Carolina (25).

The Irish men are in a three-way tie for sixth place with Clemson and Virginia Tech, coming in behind Virginia (39), Louisville (37), Florida State (26), North Carolina State (22) and Syracuse (20).

Seven of 17 women’s events have been scored, while six of 17 men’s events have been counted.

Top Irish Finishers

Women’s 60mH Prelim:
21. Jernaya Sharp – 8.57
Women’s Mile Prelim:
7. Jessica Harris – 4:47.92*
Men’s Mile Prelim:
2. Jacob Dumford – 4:05.09*
Women’s 400m Prelim:
10. Jordan Shead – 54.30
Men’s 400m Prelim:
22. John Rutkowski – 48.34
Women’s 60m Prelim:
22. Michaela Butler – 7.72
22. Jernaya Sharp – 7.72
Men’s 60m Prelim:
8. Troy Pride Jr. – 6.77*
Women’s 800m Prelim:
5. Kelly Hart – 2:07.19*
Men’s 800m Prelim:
5. Patrick O’Connell – 1:49.58*
Women’s 200m Prelim:
23. Allison Bartoszewicz – 24.78
Men’s 200m Prelim:
15. Troy Pride Jr. – 21.75
Men’s High Jump:
6. Matthew Birzer – 2.12m
Men’s Long Jump:
19. Jack Jesse – 6.54m
Women’s Pole Vault:
T17. Kassadee Ifft – 3.66m
Men’s Heptathlon:
11. Carter Sorenson – 4797
Women’s 5,000m:
1. Anna Rohrer – 15:38.11
Men’s 5000m:
22. Anthony Williams – 14:51.27
*Advanced to finals

Coming Up Next

The Irish return to Loftus for the final day of the ACC Indoor Track & Field Championship at 11 a.m. on Saturday. The entire schedule of events can be viewed here.

For a closer, behind-the-scenes look at the Notre Dame track and field program, follow @NDXCTF on Twitter.

–ND–


Megan Golden, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since August of 2016. In her role, she coordinates all media efforts for the Notre Dame women’s lacrosse and cross country/track and field programs. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Golden is a 2014 graduate of Saint Mary’s College and former Irish women’s basketball manager. Prior to arriving at Notre Dame, she worked in public relations with the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox.