Women’s Indoor Track Comes to a Close
Olivia Phelps | Feb 26, 2013 | Comments 0
After the MPSF Championship in Seattle, Washington, the women now prepare for outdoor competition.
The UC Irvine women’s indoor track and field team finished out the 2013 season on Saturday in Seattle at the final day of the meet at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Indoor Championship.
Itos Aikhionbare, who has had a stellar season for the ’Eaters in the shot put, placed 10th with a mark of 47-5 1/4. Earlier this season, Aikhionbare led UCI at both the Cherry & Silver Invitational at the Albuquerque Convention Center on Jan. 19 and at the Boise State Jacksons Open at Jackson Track in Nampa, Idaho on Jan. 26, finishing with marks of 46-11, which was over a four-foot improvement compared to her top indoor mark from a year ago and 47-9 3/4, a personal best, respectively.
Senior Sakia Sailinuu led the ’Eaters in the 800 meters on Saturday, coming in 17th with a time of 2:14.87.
At the Jacksons Open in January, Sailinuu grabbed an 18th place finish with a time of 5:17.05 in the mile while placing 25th in the 400 meters with a time of 60.56.
Junior Chelsea Schneider also competed in the 800 meters in Seattle, coming in 19th with a time of 2:15.59. At the Cherry & Silver Invitational in Albuquerque, Schneider clenched a ninth-place finish in the 800 meters with a time of 2:20.60.
Kaycee Holcomb led UCI in the mile run at the MPSF Indoor Championship with a time of 4:58.57 for a 19th-place finish. At the Husky Classic on Feb. 9 in Seattle, Washington, Holcomb won her section of the mile run and finished ninth overall with a time of 5:01.99.
Also in the mile on Saturday, Samia Sailinuu and Chloe Fata finished back-to-back to take home a 22nd and 23rd place finish with times of 5:06.41 and 5:11.64 respectively.
Lauren Hackney ran the 400 meters and finished with a time of 58.08 for an overall 35th-place standing while KayC Wharton came in 39th in 58.58.
Irvine’s 4×400 relay finished in 13th in 3:53.53, thanks to Kaulyn Lee-McNeill, Wharton, Sakia Sailnuu and Hackney.
As the season came to a close this weekend, sophomore Marie Brashears, who has competed in the 600-meter run, the 800-meter run, the distance medley and the 400-meter run this season, said, “[Our] team goals were to really focused on competing by going out with the leaders and getting the first race jitters out of the way before the outdoor [season] so we are well-prepared.”
Brashears, whose favorite element of indoor season is traveling to invitationals and facing tough competition, nabbed a 10th-place finish on day one in Albuquerque with a time of 1:42.23.
“This indoor season got me comfortable racing [at] a higher level of competition,” Brashears said.
“I am excited to carry my momentum from indoors to outdoors.”
The women’s outdoor track and field season begins on Saturday, March 2 at the All-UC Meet at Anteater Stadium.
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