Virginia Beach, Va. – Junior Lizzie Lopez won a conference championship and the Elon indoor track & field team leads the field after day one of the CAA Indoor Track & Field Championships. The meet concludes Thursday at the Virginia Beach Sports Center.
 
Along with Lopez's big day, senior Arianna Alexander broke the school record in the 60, qualifying for Thursday's finals.
 
Behind 10 points from Lopez in the pentathlon and a flurry of Phoenix pride in the 5,000, Elon has 48.5 points at the midway point of the meet. Northeastern is second with 46.5 points, followed by William & Mary with 42 and Hampton with 32. North Carolina A&T and Delaware have each scored 14 points, while Monmouth has 11 and Towson 8. College of Charleston posted six points, followed by Campbell with five, Stony Brook with four and UNCW with three.
 
LOPEZ WINS THE PENTATHLON

• Lizzie Lopez's day began a couple of hours before any other event started as she competed in the pentathlon, arguably the most grueling competition in track & field.
• Among the five events, Lopez set new personal bests in three of them. But she left the best, and most dramatic, for last.
• Lopez began by placing sixth in the 60 hurdles but followed by setting a new personal best in the high jump at 5-feet-5.75 (1.67m). That clearance was good for second place among the field and fifth-best in program history.
• She followed that up with a PR in the shot put at 30-3.75 (9.24m) and then finished second in the field in the long jump at 17-11 (5.46m).
• With just one event, the 800, remaining, Lopez sat in fourth place overall, 112 points behind the leader.
• Lopez, though, set a new PR in the 800 with a time of 2:27.82, good enough to overtake each of the three competitors in front of her, winning the pentathlon by eight points (about 2/3 of a second in the 800). Her 3,575 points were a new career-best by seven points and ranks third in school history. She edged out Towson's Leeann Redlo, who ended with 3,567 points. Delaware's Sara Manson was a distant third with 3,446 points.
• Lopez becomes the program's first pentathlon conference champion since Louise Prevoteau won it back-to-back in 2012 and 2013 as members of the Southern Conference.

 
5,000 METERS EQUALS 22 POINTS

• The 5,000 has been a strong event for Elon in recent history and Wednesday was no different. Five runners combined for 22 points as Elon took three of the top four spots and five of the top eight.
• Mikayla Jones placed second overall, followed by Katie Blount in third. Blount set a new personal best time of 16:21.17, improving her third-best time in program history. Madison Synowiec, who ranks second in school history in the 5,000 behind Jones, finished fourth.
• While Jones, Synowiec and Blount already sat atop Elon's all-time leaderboard in the 5,000, Hannah Weber added her name to the list. With a time of 16:32.77, she finished seventh overall and slid in right behind that trio with the fourth-fastest time in school history.
• Mariana Martinez was not to be forgotten as she placed eighth with a time of 16:52.09. That time cracks Elon's record book at No. 10.

 
MORE POINT GETTERS

• Elon picked up seven points in the weight throw behind a pair of youthful point placers. Sophomore Adriana Clarke finished third in the event and freshman Isabella Johnson ended eighth.
• In the long jump, Elon also had two point scorers. Senior Jazlyn Jefferson set a new Elon personal best with a distance of 18-feet-1.75 (5.53m) to tie for tenth in school history and finish seventh. Senior Alexa Mark was right behind in eighth.
• Sophomore pole vaulter Caden Cerminara had a strong showing, tying for fourth place after clearing 12-0.75 (3.68m).

 
LIVING TO FIGHT ANOTHER DAY

• Many of the running events Wednesday were prelims and Elon saw a handful qualify for Thursday's finals.
• In the mile, Elon sent two runners to finals as Sarah Petitjean placed sixth and Quinn Smith eighth. Although Julia Bell did not make finals, she ran a season-best time of 5:05.74.
• Senior Arianna Alexander broke Elon's school record in the 60 with a time of 7.51 seconds and she moves on to the finals in sixth place. Meghan Wilcox tied her own PR in the event at 7.61 seconds, which put her in a four-way tie for the final spot to finals. Unfortunately, she lost out on finals by seven-thousandths of a second.
• Sophomore Shayla Cann earned a trip to finals in the 800, placing sixth in prelims with a time of 2:14.34.
• Sophomore Stavriana Adamou earned a trip to finals in the 60 hurdles as she tied for fifth in 8.81 seconds. Ja'mia Johnson posted a PR time of 8.83 seconds, good for sixth in program history, but ended one spot out of finals. Mia Stimpson also set a new PR, running 8.96, eighth-best in school history.

 
UP NEXT

• Elon returns to the track Thursday morning for the conclusion of the CAA Indoor Track & Field Championships. The day begins with high jump at 10:30 a.m. and will conclude with the 1,600 relay at 3:15 p.m.

   
60 prelims – 6. Arianna Alexander 7.51, 11. Meghan Wilcox 7.61
200 prelims – 19. Meghan Wilcox 25.21
400 prelims – 15. Duna Viñals 57.43
800 prelims – 6. Shayla Cann 2:14.34, 19. Gabi Walker 2:18.30
Mile trials – 6. Sarah Petitjean 4:58.31, 8. Quinn Smith 4:58.40, 14. Julia Bell 5:05.74
5000 – 2. Mikayla Jones 16:14.67, 3. Katie Blount 16:21.17, 4. Madison Synowiec 16:23.52, 7. Hannah Weber 16:32.77, 8. Mariana Martinez 16:52.09
60 hurdles prelims – T5. Stavriana Adamou 8.81, 9. Ja'mia Johnson 8.83, 12. Mia Stimpson 8.96
Long jump – 7. Jazlyn Jefferson 18-1.75 (5.53m), 8. Alexa Mark 17-11 (5.46m), 12. Lizzie Lopez 17-9 (5.41m)
Pole vault – t4. Caden Cerminara 12-0.75 (3.68m)
Weight throw – 3. Adriana Clarke 55-11.25 (17.05m), 8. Isabella Johnson 53-0 (16.15m), 11. Amelia Metz 49-1.75 (14.98m), 16. Meghan Coyne 47-1.5 (14.36m)
 
Pentathlon
Score – 1. Lizzie Lopez 3,575
60 hurdles – 6. Lizzie Lopez 9.20 (869)
High jump – 2. Lizzie Lopez 5-5.75 | 1.67m (818)
Shot put – 6. Lizzie Lopez 30-3.75 | 9.24m (480)
Long jump – 2. Lizzie Lopez 17-11 | 5.46m (688)
800 – 3. Lizzie Lopez 2:27.82