The men’s and women’s track and field teams were split between competitions in Raleigh, North Carolina and West Long Branch, New Jersey on Friday and Saturday. In Raleigh, the Violets competed against athletes from all three collegiate divisions in the Raleigh Relays at North Carolina State University. In West Long Branch, NYU participated in the 20th Annual Monmouth Season Opener at Monmouth University.

Men’s Track and Field at the Raleigh Relays

During their races at the Raleigh Relays, the men’s squad broke several personal bests and season highs, led by seniors Johnny Lake and Sebastian Oja on day one. Lake finished in 27th place out 36 competitors in the 3,000 meter steeplechase, clocking in at 9:30.01 to set a personal best. Oja competed in the 10,000 meter race, clocking in at 30:52.97 — only one minute off of the NYU school record from 2008 — and finished 40th out of 63.

On day two, freshman Malcolm Montilus, senior Zac Kish and sophomores Budd Brown and Curtis Mann set a season best of 3:23.78 in the 4×400 relay, placing in 22nd out of 37 schools. Brown emphasized the difficulty of competition due to weather conditions over the weekend.

“The first day of competition was cold and rainy, while the second day was sunny, but colder and windy,” Brown said. “Given the tough conditions, we competed well.”

Men’s Track and Field in the Monmouth Season Opener

Senior Tom Longabaugh and sophomore Nick Hespe had standout performances in the pole vault, placing in second and third, respectively. Both Violets cleared 4.35 meters, which was a personal best for Hespe in the outdoor pole vault. Sophomore Carter Beardsley also had a successful day, coming in 10th place in the shot put out of 23 competitors and taking 14th out of 25 in the hammer throw.

Women’s Track and Field at the Raleigh Relays

Out of 125 participants in the 1,500-meter race, junior Becky Turlip took 74th place. Senior Caroline Spring and junior Lydia Guo raced against 119 competitors in the 400-meter race, placing in 85th and 97th, respectively.

On day two, sophomore Wendy He, junior Sarah Sisk, Guo and Spring took 26th out of 30 in the 4×400 relay with a time of 4:07.37. Turlip, Sisk, Binczyk and freshman Ireland Gibson participated in the 4×800 relay, but were disqualified for switching their registered order at one of the changeovers.

Despite their mistake costing them a chance at a victory, Turlip enjoyed competing at the meet with her fellow Violets.

“The meet was a lot of fun, and it was exciting to watch the other races,” Turlip said. “It’s a fun, upbeat meet to kick the season off. All who competed this weekend will only get better and better.”

Women’s Track and Field in the Monmouth Season Opener

The Violets also had some strong performances at the Monmouth Season Opener over the weekend. Freshman Alexa Goldman set a personal best in the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:06.69, coming in 24th place out of 42 competitors. Junior Rebecca Shimonov placed in 11th in both the long jump and the 100 meter hurdles.

Three Violets competed in the 1,500-meter run against 81 other participants. Sophomore Justine Morris had the strongest finish, placing in 28th. Freshmen Morel Malcolm and Hannah Haley followed with 42nd and 47th place finishes.

The team will compete again next weekend at The College of William and Mary in the Colonial Relays. They will look to build on their personal best times by coupling them with some higher finishes.

A version of this article appeared in the Monday, March 30 print edition. Email Jonathan Schifman at [email protected].