Junior sprinter Cassy Goodrich helped Marquette kick off the track and field season Friday night by breaking a school record by running a 1:33.01 in the 600-meter dash to highlight a successful first day of the season at the Blue & Gold Invitational at Notre Dame.
On the women’s side, it was strong performances from Goodrich and her fellow 4×400 runners, including Monique Felix, and Arra and Anna strong, who won the race with a time of 3:50.67. Goodrich ran the anchor and helped secure the victory.
Felix, who won last year’s Pentathlon event, had a strong performance in the triple jump, as she jumped 11.79 meters and won the event.
Head coach Bert Rodgers was happy with the first meet of the season, but knows there is a long way to go as Marquette tries to win back-to-back BIG EAST titles.
“We had some good performances,” Marquette head coach Bert Rogers told GoMarquette.com. “It was a typical December meet, a lot of good stuff and then some stuff we’ll need to work on, but we’ll definitely be able to build on this.”
Also of significance on the women’s side, senior pole vaulter Gemma Tedeschi took second place in the event with a jump of 3.65 meters.
In the weight throw, Marquette took third, fourth and fifth, as Ashley Gaffey (15.65 meters), Monica Voudrie (15.43 meters) and Keely Knobbe (14.55 meters) had a solid first night of the season.
On the men’s side, it was the field events that stood out, as Dwayne Dash, Jr. edged out fellow Golden Eagle Djdade Denson in the long jump with a jump of 7.29 meters. Denson’s mark was 7.08 meters, as they had a 1-2 finish.
Denson continued to dominate the field in the jumping category, as he scored a 14.14 meter jump in the triple jump to win the event. As a result of his big night, Denson now holds the sixth best triple jump in school history.
Freshman Sam Sagan took fifth in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.52, and fellow Golden Eagles Joshua Word (22.69) and Jay Whalen (22.78) finished in sixth and eighth place.
Up next for Marquette, the Golden Eagles will travel to Kenosha Dec. 9 to participate in the UW-Parkside Fall Finale.
