WASHINGTON – The Georgetown University track & field teams opened the indoor track & field season in Annapolis, Maryland for the Navy Invitational on Saturday, hosted by Navy at the Wesley Brown Field House. The season opener was highlighted by eight event titles and a dozen finishes among the top three.
 
Men's Recap
The men's 5,000-meter event was the first race on the docket and the Hoyas came out strong as juniors Johnathan Chavez (Knoxville, Tenn. / Knoxville Catholic) and Dylan Scarsone (Anaheim, Calif. / Canyon) finished first and second with times of 15:09.14 and 15:10.52, respectively. Shortly thereafter, it was a duo of freshman continuing the winnings ways in the mile event with Ian Delgado (Cary, N.C. / Green Hope) running to a first-place finish with a time of 4:20.23 and Quinn Nicholson (Painted Post, N.Y. / Corning) following close behind finishing in second place.
 
Also winning their respective events were freshman Tristan Forsythe (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Winchester Thurston) in the 3,000-meter race, Lawrence Leake (Huntington, N.Y. / Huntington) in the 500-meter run and All-American Joe White (Clifton, N.J. / DePaul Catholic) ran an indoor personal best in the 400-meter event with a time of 47.94. Perhaps the most impressive finish for the Blue & Gray came in the 1,000-meter race where Ruach Padhal (London, Ontario / John Paul II Catholic), Brennan Munley (Clarkson, Mich. / Waterford Mott) and Joshua Bell (Nashville, Tenn. / Brentwood Academy) claimed first, second and third, respectively.
 
"I really liked the competitiveness I saw from the middle-distance and distance men today," Assistant Track & Field Coach Brandon Bonsey said. "I thought each of them competed extremely well. Joe White proved why he's one of the best athletes in the US. He ran an indoor personal best of 47.94 and did a nice job pacing the 1,000-meter race later on. Joe did 7-kilometers worth of work on the track on Tuesday, so to run 47.94 on tired legs was big time. Ian Delgado and Tristan Forsythe got wins in their collegiate debuts, as well. I was especially proud of Tristan. That was a huge personal record for him and he ran the last 1-kilometer by himself. The 1,000-meter race was a great event for us, as well. Ruach, Brennan and Joshua running 2:24 and 2:25 is great in December off of a slow pace. Ruach is way ahead of where he was a year ago.  Overall, I really liked what I saw.  It shows that this group put in good work all Fall. Now we have a six-week chunk of training that is huge for us. We have to stay healthy and get better from here."

Women's Recap
On the women's side, the Hoyas posted strong showings in four separate events. Veteran sprinter Taylor Williams (Hatboro, Pa. / Hatboro-Horsham) finished first in the 200-meter event claiming a time of 24.55. Sophomore Cassidy Palmer (Bloomfield, Conn. / Bloomfield) finished third in the race. Malika Houston (Charleston, W.Va. / George Washington) ran a very respectable 8.77 time in the 60-meter hurdle event. Also finishing in second in the 500-meter event was Lexi Del Gizzo (Tenafly, N.J. / Tenafly) with a time of 1:17.42. The 1,000-meter race was one to remember for Georgetown as a trio of women finished in the top three with freshman Sami Corman (Bellevue, Wash. / Issaquah) leading the way with a time of 2:49.39.
 
"We had some strong efforts in the 1,000-meter race and some sprints events for our women," Associate Head Coach Alton McKenzie said. "I felt Kennedy showed some promise finishing second in the 1000-meter run as she comes off injuries last year and looks to get back to her best. Sami Corman ran gutsy in her first effort as a Hoya running indoor to take the win in the 1,000-meter race. Malika had a good opener in the 60-meter hurdles, just coming up short for the win, but will be ready when we get more hurdling repetitions in. Cassidy and Taylor had exceptional runs in the 200-meter race, as well. Cassidy started off her season with a personal best in the 200-meter event and Taylor ran a controlled race to take the win. Overall, our women were very competitive and we'll take this as a building block to learn and grow as we look for continued improvement throughout the season."
 
The Blue & Gray have a six-week break before returning to action on Saturday, Jan. 12 for the Penn State Nittany Lion Challenge, held at Penn State University.

Georgetown Men Among the Top Three
Men's 400-Meter Run
1. Joe White, 47.94
3. Quincey Wilson, 49.39
 
Men's 500-Meter Run
1. Lawrence Leake, 1:05.12

Men's 1,000-Meter Run
1. Ruach Padhal, 2:24.48
2. Brennan Munley, 2:25.57
3. Joshua Bell, 2:25. 68
 
Men's Mile Run
1. Ian Delgado, 4:20.23
2. Quinn Nicholson, 4:20.72
 
Men's 3,000-Meter Run
1. Tristan Forsythe, 8:28.18
2. Maazin Ahmed, 8:50,44
 
Men's 5,000-Meter Run
1. Johnathan Chavez, 15:09.14
2. Dylan Scarsone, 15:10.52
 
Georgetown Women Among the Top Three
Women's 200-Meter Run
1. Taylor Williams, 24.55
2. Cassidy Palmer, 24.73
 
Women's 500-Meter Run
2. Lexi Del Gizzo, 1:17.42
 
Women's 1,000-Meter Run
1. Sami Corman, 2:49.39
2. Kennedy Weisner, 2:50.22
3. Rachel Sessa, 2:55.02
 
Women's 60-Meter Hurdles
2. Malika Houston, 8.77