Track and field season off to a good start

The Troy track and field team kicked off its 2015 indoor season at the UAB Blazer Invitational on Friday, Jan. 9 and wrapped up with satisfying finishes on Saturday, Jan. 10.

On Friday, three Trojans finished in the top-four for the women’s 5000-meter run. Junior Julia Ostendorf took second place while freshmen teammates Mikayla Hodges and Samantha Smith finished a few seconds after Ostendorf’s time of 18:17.23.

Freshmen Marsel Mosley, Alyssa, Staubach, Sara Zylstra, and junior Paige McMillian made up the women’s distance medley team and placed fourth with a time of 13:11.10 on Friday.

In the women’s 1000-meter run, freshman Naomi Sheppard finished in 3:16.01, leading fellow freshman teammates Erika Kulp and Kristina Bokenfohr who were right behind her with times of 3:16.50 and 3:29.17, respectively.

On Saturday, freshman Niata Alexander swept both her heats in the 400- and 200-meter dashes. She took sixth place in the 400-meter dash and fourth in the 200-meter dash later in the day.

The men’s and women’s 4×400 relay teams both took home top-ten finishes on Saturday. The women’s team finished ninth with a time of 3:57.63 and the men’s team placed eighth in 3:21.78.

The Trojan men competed in several different events with freshman Joseph Giese taking home third place in the 1000-meter run in 2:35.09. Sophomores Shakiel Parker and Madison Estes finished shortly afterwards at 2:46.12 and 2:48.88.

Freshman Dylan Ogburn and sophomore Tim Bulger collected top-ten finishes in the men’s 3000-meter run on Saturday.

In field events, sophomore Zach Douglas finished in fifth in the men’s weight throw and sophomore Myles Charley placed in sixth in the men’s triple jump with a 14.71 meter jump.

The track and field team will travel to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, to compete at the UNC Open on Jan. 17.