Rowan women’s track & field were on the blocks and geared up to start their 2022 outdoor campaign back a few weeks ago.

Despite the quick turnaround from the indoor to the outdoor season, as senior Nicole Notarianni explains, it supplies a fresh start for the team.

“Everyone was very excited going into the outdoor season because it is a fresh start where we can go to work and be the best we can be on the track and in the field,” Notarianni said. “The key was to make sure we did not stop putting in the work from winter and spring because we automatically went from winter to spring.” 

Their first stop in the spring season led them to Lexington, Virginia back on Saturday, March 18, for the Washington and Lee Carnival. 

Without losing a single step, the famed 4×400 of junior Kat Pedersen, freshmen Molly Lodge, Nevaeh Lorjuste, and Jasmine Broadway finished first with a time of 3:57.76 by edging out Roanoke College by 16-hundredths of a second.

Later on, New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Champion competitor, senior Makayla Taylor, took home second in the shot put with a toss of 12.12 meters. 

The following day, the action heated up in a big way.

The 100-meter hurdles saw senior Nicole Notarianni take home first place with a time of 14.47 and Lodge take third at the 15.64 mark. The aforementioned Lodge would go on to claim victory in the 200-meter dash, clocking in at 25.33.

Lorjuste and senior Promise Fadahunsi finished close behind at 26.07 and 26.21, taking third and fourth respectively. In the 400 meter dash, Lorjuste came out on top at 58.22 and Pedersan finished third at 59.81. 

As for the field events, Taylor and fellow senior Olivia Scattergood showed up to throw, posting tosses of 41.63 and 43.12, placing fourth and second place respectively. Success was also in store for discus, where Taylor and Scattergood earned distances of 38.82 and 35.20 meters, good for third and sixth place in the event. 

The good vibes were flowing early and nobody is more in tune with this energy than freshman runner Molly Lodge. Coming off a terrific debut within the indoor setting and enjoying the start to this new outdoor journey, Lodge feels team morale is at an all-time high. 

“The team’s energy is great going into the season because the whole team is finally together,” Lodge said. “During the winter season, not all of the events competed, so it’s super fun to have all of our team represented at meets now. We are definitely motivated to run faster and perform better with each meet.”

The next meet was right in their backyard for the seventh annual Oscar Moore Invitational held in Glassboro this past Saturday, March 26. The Profs defended their home turf well, putting on an absolute clinic, as expected. What was most intriguing about the day’s events were the expanded contributions on the field side of things.

Leading the way in this trend were freshman Dimitra Kossis and senior Morgan Carr in the javelin, launching poles that traveled 34.13 and 33.38 meters and becoming a two-three tandem as a result.

Freshman Sofia Watson was also locked in right from the jump, taking fourth in both the high jump and long jump with 1.34 and 4.71-meter leaps. Junior Sophia Gresham also made her mark in the long jump, taking fifth after posting a 4.61-meter mark. 

In the 100 meter dash, junior Sam Eloy and freshman Katelyn Sprague finished towards the top of their field, taking third and sixth with times of 13.23 and 13.36. Similar success was in store for Notarianni in the 100-meter hurdle, claiming third with a finish of 14.69. 

Rounding out the day’s festivities was the 400-meter expert, junior Captain Amanthy Sosa Caceres, whose role on the 4×400 relay certainly served her well this time around. Her time of 1.01.76 was good for second in the competition. 

Whenever a squad makes such a significant impact on events to start off a campaign, it’s only natural that their coach is content. This certainly applies to Head Coach Derick “Ringo” Adamson, who is certainly pleased with his team’s early progress.

“I think they have turned the corner in a positive way as a unit,” Coach Adamson said. “The girls in the javelin definitely put us on notice and were rather impressive. It was quite the crowd we had to support all of our girls this past weekend.”

If the Profs continue giving their all each time they compete, an NJAC title remains visible on the horizon. Not only could they expect a conference triumph but also the opportunity for others to join Makayla Taylor to represent the program at the national level. The squad will take the next step on their journey to Widener University for the Danny Curran Invitational on Friday, April 2.

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