“I was shocked! I only broke it by less than a second, but I was still excited,” said sophomore Joanna Perez of Port Murray, New Jersey. “I was happy too because now I know what I am capable of doing in something more than the 800 meter run.” Perez was extremely ecstatic when she heard the news about the Quinnipiac school record she had broken.
The record was set when the Quinnipiac women’s indoor track team participated in the University of Rhode Island Invitational on Friday January 16 in Kingston, Rhode Island. The Bobcats came in seventh overall; the team had a total score of 11 points. Carolyn Robin, a graduate student from Foster, Rhode Island, also set a record at the meet.
Both girls said they went into the meet feeling pretty rested and ready to compete but did not plan to break any Quinnipiac records. Perez led the way for the Bobcats finishing sixth in the 1,000-meters in a school-record time of 3:09.76.
“I saw the clock while I was kicking the last 100 meters and I saw 3:06 so I knew I had to run faster to break the record,” said Perez. “I was really only aiming to break 3:15.
Robin broke a Quinnipiac record in the 3,000-meters placing seventh in a time of 10:20.94. Robin seized the prior record, which she had established the previous weekend at the NYU Invitational, with a time of 10:24.24.
As a freshman, Perez also finished seventh at the URI Invite in the 500-meter heat, setting a school record when she finished in 1:25.11.
Robin has accomplished several milestones as well throughout her years at Quinnipiac. She was named indoor and outdoor track team MVP in her sophomore year. During her junior year, Robin earned All-Northeast Conference honors in women’s cross country and was named the cross country and indoor track team MVP. As a senior, Robin due to injury, sat out of the 2002 cross country season but still was named Quinnipiac women’s outdoor track MVP. She also became the first female runner in Quinnipiac History to finish under 18 minutes in the 5,000 meter race, when she finished in 17:50.36.
“The women are showing solid progress,” said cross country head coach Shawn Green. “Carolyn Robin continues to run exceptionally, breaking her own school record in the 3000M.”
With 23 meets left the Bobcats’ track schedule, there is plenty of time to break more school records. The main goal is for the team to keep up its exceptional effort and maintain their ability to break school records.
