Koalas Celebrate With Rings and Records
The Koalas celebrated their indoor conference championship by receiving their rings last week during a home basketball game, a week later and its back to business in search for their 3rd conference chamionship in a row.
The Columbia College Indoor Track & Field team opened their season over the weekend with a trip to Roanoke College's Bast Cregger Invitational. The Koalas performed very well to kickoff the season. The track & field team broke 3 school records, won 4 events, had 15 top-5 finishes, and earned 32 conference qualifying marks for the AAC Indoor Track & Field Championship. Although no team scores were taken, its safe to say the ladies performed well in their first meet back.
Leading the Koalas, with 2 new school records, was sophomore Aleah Bromell. Aleah broke her own school records in the shot put (11.60m) and the weight throw (13.73m). Aleah won the weight throw event, and placed 2nd in the shot put. Right behind Aleah in the shot put, was freshman Zaida Carson who finished 3rd to begin her college career.
Freshman Valeria Bogdanova had a busy day in her collegiate track & field debut with 4 events. Valeria won the 600 meters with a time of 1:46.56, and finished 4th in the 1000 meters with a time of 3:19.30. Valeria was also part of the school record breaking Distance Medley Relay team with teammates Amber Bell, Esther Ekundayo, and Makayla Hollifield. This team of Koala won the DMR and set a new school record with a time of 13:57.02. Valeria also anchored the 4x400 meter relay team.
Sophomore Amber Bell had a great weekend running the 400 meter distance three times. Amber was the 400 meter leg of the DMR team, and she also won the open 400 meters with a time of 1:00.62. Amber would finish the meet running on the 4x400 meter relay team which finished 5th.
Junior Kelsey White-Kennedy also had a busy day on Saturday by running 5 races. Kelsey made it through the preliminary, semi-final, and final round of the 60 meter dash, along with running in the semi-final, and finals of the 60 meter hurdles. Kelsey's best 60 meter time of the day was 8.20 seconds and she placed 5th in the finals. Kelsey's best hurdle time of the day was 9.26 seconds and she finished 2nd in the finals.
Junior Sabree Walker had a breakout performance by setting a new PR in the 60 meters with each round of racing. Sabree would run an 8.18 in the preliminaries, an 8.14 in the semis, and an 8.07 in the finals, good for 3rd place. Sabree would also finish in 3rd place in the 200 meter dash with a time of 27.11 seconds.
Freshman Esther Ekundayo, fresh off receiving her Cross Country AAC All-Freshman Team Award, had a great collegiate debut. Esther ran the 600 meters and the 1000 meters, two events she's never run before. She would finish 4th in the 600m (1:49.77) and 5th in the 1000m (3:20.32).
Rounding out the rest of top finishers for the Koalas, junior Heather Woolard had a 5th place finish in the Triple Jump, freshman Kianna Ryan finished 9th in the 200 meter dash, junior Julisa Echeverria finished 10th in the 400 meters, and freshman Makayla Hollifield finished 6th in the 600 meters and 7th in the 1000 meters. Also, freshman Grace Wright finished 8th in the 600 meters, sophomore Hannah Mishkoff finished 6th in the 5000 meters, sophomore Alondrea Reid finished 9th in the weight throw, junior Morgan Cameron-Decker finished 10th in the weight throw, and junior Courtney Lambert finished 10th in the pentathlon.
The Koalas will go to both JDL Fast Track and the University of South Carolina for their next competitions when they return from winter break.