CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO. - As the Belmont Women's Track and Field team continues to rewrite the program's record books, three more records fall at the Joey Haines Invitational this weekend. The team's solid effort was rewarded with a fifth place finish overall, but individually, there were many standouts this weekend.
Senior Adreanna Parlette (Nashville, Tenn.) continues to shock and awe spectators and coaches as she won first and shattered her own school Long Jump record with a mark of 6.50m.
"Her Long Jump today ranks seventh best nationally this season," said Associate Head Coach Cameron Harvey. "She had the second best jump today that went the next level. It's beyond what she did last weekend. It's a absolutely unprecedented improvement for an athlete who has been doing the event as long as she has. It just shows what she can do when she has confidence and good environment." Parlette was just three-hundredths away from breaking the Belmont High Jump record with her height of 1.70m.
Sophomore Sade Alalade (Canton, Ga.) also had a strong High Jump day, posting a 1.65m personal record and fourth place finish. Parlette wasn't the only athlete to break records with her jumping for Belmont.
Junior Tyra Finkeldey (Old Saybrook, Conn.) broke the Belmont Pole Vault record with a height of 3.89m on the way to winning the event. "Tyra looked really good all day long. She had a moment today when it all seemed to 'click' for her," said Harvey. "She just let her natural talents and speed take her over 3.89m. She is definitely regained her confidence from a year ago. This was a great meet to remind her of how strong an athlete she can be."
Freshman Rebekah Stucker (Odessa, Mo.) broke the Shot Put record again this week with 14.25m to place fourth in a stacked event. Assistant Coach Joe Frye said, "Rebekah showed a lot of maturity today for a freshman."
Frye broke down Stucker's throws leading up to the record. "She started with two huge throws, but they were fouls. She had to hit a conservative throw in round three to avoid fouling, while still giving it enough heat to make it to finals. Once she did that, she made finals where she really let loose. She was able to rocket one even further than what we saw her do last weekend." Stucker soon could throw even further. Frye said, "The cool thing is those fouls were big fouls, too. She knows she has a lot of room before she taps her ceiling."
Senior Jessica Mattsson (Tierp, Sweden) took fourth in Hammer Throw with a toss of 57.68m. "Jessica did really well in the hammer, She has had back and hip injuries," said Coach Frye. "Last week, she went 51m. This week, she went 57. That means her timing is coming back, but it also proves to herself that she could throw even better than last season."
Stucker had a strong Hammer Throw showing, as well, with a personal record of 50.16m, good enough to finish eighth in a very strong field of competitors. "Rebekah had a good hammer day, as well, where she showed a lot of growth."
Sophomore Maddie Quinn (Bible Hill, Canada) earned second with 44.51m. "Maddie had a very consistent day in the Javelin," said Frye. "She raised the bar pretty high last weekend (when she broke the Belmont record) but for her to throw like this today shows how consistent she can be in the high part of the season."
Senior Caroline Pruitt (Allen, Texas) ran the 400m Hurdles fast enough to break the Joey Haines Invitational record and win first place.
"It was really great, because she had an excellent fall semester where she broke the time trail record in the 300m," Harvey said. "She had a little bit of a hamstring injury over Christmas break, but was starting to feel good about a month ago. For her to come out her first race of the season and do that well, is phenomenal. We are really glad she is such a strong leader for our sprint squad."
Freshman Brooke Garter (Kings Mills, Ohio) and sophomore Katie Flaherty (Colorado Springs, Colo.) placed eighth and 11th, respectively in the 1500m. "Brooke and Katie raced really well together and came away with a good season opener for them," said Assistant Coach Kate Bucknam. "For Katie to run that well is promising for the rest of her season. Brooke looked more confident in this race than she has before this year. We are excited to see moving both excel moving forward."
"This is the most talented women's team we have had in recent memory," said Belmont's Director of Track and Field. "The goal for us now is to not get complacent and to keep our foot on the gas. We have improvements still to be made, and we need to stay on those and keep the ball rolling, but we are really proud our athletes strong start, and how resilient they have been this semester with all the adversity they have dealt with so far."
The Bruins will next take a trip to SEC territory with a stop at Ole Miss, April 9-10 for the Joe Walker Invitational in Oxford, Miss.
Belmont Only Results
Women's Hammer
4. Jessica Mattsson SR., – 57.68m
8. Rebekah Stucker FR., – 50.16m*
Women's Javelin
2. Maddie Quinn SO., – 44.51m
11. Grace Maniscalco SR., – 36.89m
16. Olivia Moyer FR., – 30.53m
Women's Discus
6. Rebekah Stucker FR., – 48.02m
15. Olivia Moyer FR., – 37.90m
Women's Shot Put
4. Rebekah Stucker FR., – 14.25m**
10. Olivia Moyer FR., – 11.73m*
Women's Long Jump
1. Adreanna Parlette SR., – 6.38m**
26. Sade Alalade SO., – 4.73m*
Women's High Jump
2. Adreanna Parlette SR., – 1.70m*
4. Sade Alalade SO., – 1.65m*
6. Jeanette Morley SR., – 1.60m
Women's Triple Jump
11. Morgan Louderback SO., – 11.26m
Women's Pole Vault
1. Tyra Finkeldey JR., – 3.89m**"
Women's 1500m
8. Brooke Garter FR., – 4:52.95*
11. Katie Flaherty SO., – 4:54.38
Women's 5000m
5. Anna Arrick SR., – 18:53.16
Women's 100m Hurdles
7. Michella Diebenow FR., – 15.04*
14. Adreanna Parlette SR., – 15.50
Women's 400m Hurdles
1. Caroline Pruitt SR., – 1:02.37*"
3. Michella Diebenow FR., –1:06.44*
4. Tara Hitchcock SO., – 1:06.44*
Women's 400m
2. Payton Barlow SR., – 57.18
10. Sarah Richmond FR., – 59.54
Women's 200m
21. Savanah Balcerak FR., – 26.42
Women's 4 x 400m
3. (Pruitt, Barlow, Richmond, Balcerak) 3:53.03
*Personal Record
**Belmont Record
"Meet Record
