The Iona College women’s indoor track team participated in the 2011 MAAC Championships at the Armory Track and Field Center on Feb. 18. The Gaels finished third and had some of the most notable individual performances of the event.

Junior Heidi Gregson was a cut above the rest once again by taking home the Women’s Most Outstanding Performer for Track Events award for a second time.

Gregson’s record performance included a victory in the mile and a second place finish in the 800-meter run.

Gregson added a fourth Most Outstanding Performer award in a MAAC Championship to her record. She also received the honor last cross country season and last spring in outdoor track.

Her winning time of 4:55.60 was five seconds ahead of second and only less than a half second off the MAAC record held by former Gael Michelle Gallagher.

 “Running this mile was actually a lot of fun for me. The coaches told me to take the lead from the gun and make my own decisions on how to run it, just as long as I made sure to win,” Gregson said. “I don’t always get the luxury to go into a race without a set plan, so it was nice to be able to do this.”

Iona’s talented freshman Kirsten Stewart was third in 5:01.98 in her first collegiate indoor championship.

Junior Teegan Schoch earned her very first MAAC title in the 5000-meter run. Schoch trounced the competition with a lead that was almost 14 seconds faster than Loyola’s Kiera Harrison’s second place finish.

Head Coach Ricardo Santos said, “Teegan did a great job, she has never run the 5,000m indoors before so I think she handled it well.  She just got into a good rhythm and just wore down the other girls in the race and eventually pulled away.”

Senior Natalie Finnerty became the team’s third individual champion of the night after winning the 3000-meter run.

Finnerty beat teammate freshman Tara Jameson by more than eight seconds with a winning time of 10:02.27. En route to the victory Finnerty picked up her first MAAC individual crown and an indoor personal best.

 

Coach Santos commented, “Natalie ran a very controlled race as she put a gap on the rest of the field and never really looked back.  It was great to see her get her first MAAC Championship individual title since it’s her senior year.”

The DMR squad that included Stewart, senior Chelsea Borbolla, senior Kristen Peluso and Schoch cruised to a 12:17.90 victory. Second place Loyola was ten seconds behind as the Gaels won the title easily.

Saint Peter’s was the team champion with Manhattan ahead of the Gaels.

Gregson is beginning to solidify her status as a top runner in the country as she continues to work off of the success she had last season that included a trip to the NCAA Championships in the mile.

The junior from Sydney, Australia was very happy with being the top track performer once again by saying, “The most outstanding performer award is something I always strive for at any MAAC Championships. Winning it again this year made me very proud to be an Iona Gael! It is really great when your efforts get recognized in this way, and I feel very thankful to have won it.”

This Friday the Gaels will compete in the Columbia Last Chance Meet. Here all the runners will begin to prepare for the ECAC Championships which begin on the following day.

Following the ECAC is the NCAA cross country championships, were runners like Gregson will look to put her skill on display for the entire nation.