LYNCHBURG, Va. – Aided by a pair of athletes clinching spots for the Eastern College Athletic Conference Indoor Championships and several personal-records, the Elon University women's track and field team wrapped competition at the Liberty Kickoff on Saturday, Jan. 27, inside the Liberty Indoor Track Complex.
 
"I thought our distance team did a really great job today," said Elon director of track and field and cross country Mark Elliston. "They battled tough and it showed with a couple of them earning a trip to the ECACs for the indoor championships and a few others getting some (personal-records). Overall, we still have some work to do as a team to have a balanced effort and I think as the season goes along we will have that."
 
Qualifying for the ECAC Indoor Championships were junior Chelsea Smith and sophomore Melissa Anastasakis in the 1,000-meter run. Both runners set new personal-bests in the race with Smith clocking a 2:54.31 in the race – nearly four-seconds better than her previous best. Anastasakis also bettered her previous time by four seconds with her 2:55.58. Smith finished seventh overall while Anastasakis was ninth.
 
Junior Coralea Geraniotis almost earned a spot to the ECACs in the 3,000-meter run as the Orleans, Mass., native ran a time of 9:57.55 –a new two-second personal-record. She finished third overall in the race while teammate Brigid Brennan was fourth at a time of 10:07.36.
 
In the 500-meter run, Natacha Savioz and Emily Smith added their names to the program's all-time record book with the second and third-fastest times in school history, respectively. Savioz ran a 1:17.17 and was sixth overall while Emily Smith was at 1:19.18. Emily Dixon also joined the top-four times in school history with her run of 1:21.51 and was 16^th.
 
Dixon was Elon's top athlete in the 60-meter hurdles with her time of 9.22 and 23^rd overall. In the high jump, Melody Burke earned a top-10 standing with her cleared height of 5' 3" (1.60m) while Dixon cleared the bar at 5' 1" (1.55m) and was 17^th overall. Burke also garnered top-10 standings in the long jump with a 17' 6.25" (5.34m).
 
Senior Bryanna Hames threw a distance of 43' 2.25" (13.16m) in the shot put, her first action in the event in about two months. She would finish just outside of the top-10 at 11^th overall.
 
On Deck
Elon will have select members of its squad return to Liberty next weekend for the Darius Dixon Invitational on Feb. 2-3. Others will head to the JDL Fast Track Complex for the Camel City Invitational also on Feb. 2-3.