Day #2 Results (.pdf)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - For the IUPUI women's track team, it was more about quality than quantity as the Jaguars opened the outdoor slate at the 2014 Charlotte 49er Classic on Friday (Mar. 21). While only a handful of Jaguars hit the track on day two of the three day meet, nearly every IUPUI runner started the season on a high note. 

"It was a lot of solid performances overall tonight," IUPUI Head Coach Antonio McDaniel said. "I was very impressed with how everyone competed. This first group really took advantage of great weather and great competition."

None had a better showing than fifth-year senior Rachel Zajac, who set a new school record in the 5,000m event by running 17:16.43 in the fastest of three heats. Zajac was the top collegiate finisher, falling to only former Clemson runner and current GTC-Elite performer Kimberly Ruck, who ran a time of 16:20.68. Zajac edged Kasey Jones by less than a second for second-place, while shattering the IUPUI record by nearly 36 seconds. 

Zajac topped her previous best by more than a minute and became just the third Jaguar to go under 18 minutes on the outdoor surface. 

"Rachel really attacked this race and ran with confidence," McDaniel said. "The race went out extremely fast, but she was able to settle in and really open up the last 200 meters to snatch second place. This was definitely one of her best races as a Jaguar."

Freshman Valeria Guzman started the Jaguars' day by winning her heat of the 1,500m, running a time of 4:55.15 to place 36th of 94 entries. Sophomore Katie Williams then notched a time of 5:08.39, missing a personal best by less than four seconds. 

"Valeria ran a great race," McDaniel said. "She was very patient and waited until the final 100 meters to kick past the entire lead pack. She was probably fifth with 150 (meters) to go and ended  up winning her heat.

"Katie was very patient as well and moved her way up the pack gradually. She got tripped up a little bit midway, but didn't let it phase her. This race was a great start for her."

Zajac wasn't the only Jaguar to excel in the 5K later in the evening as sophomore Leah Brooks placed 28th overall in a time of 18:29.92, missing her personal record by less than half a second. Later, freshman Jennifer Emery won the third heat of the 5K by 24 seconds, posting a time of 18:53.10. Neither Jordan Hanaway or Sydney Chapman were unable to finish, as both used the race as an opportunity to get a competitive workout under their belts. Both were hindered by injuries throughout the indoor season.  

"This was such a big step for Jennifer tonight," McDaniel said. "She's had a rough start to her freshman year due to some unfortunate injuries, but she's constantly been working on getting stronger and it showed tonight. She was in third most of the race but managed to catch the leader who was roughly 70-80 meters ahead of her. Once she caught her, she never looked back.

"Leah just got out quite a bit faster than we would like due to the leaders taking off with (Ruck) at the start. Once she starts a little bit easier, I have complete faith that she will drop a considerable amount of time. Her workouts indicate that."

The 49er Classic will come to an end on Saturday as Jaguars are slated to participate in the 800, 3K and 4x800m relay.