Stratman sets Academy Record as Women's Track & Field Opens Outdoor Season

Friday, March 3

Long Beach, CA

Army West Point

Beach Opener

Stratman sets Academy Record as Women's Track & Field Opens Outdoor Season

March 05, 2023 | Women's Track and Field

LONG BEACH, CA - Army West Point women's track & field saw an Academy record broken in the javelin by Brooke Stratman as Army began its outdoor season at the Beach Opener hosted by Long Beach State University.

Day One
Opening with both the javelin and hammer throw on Friday, Army dominated in its return to the outdoor circuit. The Black Knights posted a 1-2-3 finish in the javelin, highlighted by Brooke Stratman's 49.51m throw, breaking a program record which has stood for over 35 years. Alexah Zaczynski finished second with a 44.58m throw while Nicole Sacchinelli rounded out the trio with a 43.58m mark.

Kiana Emerson placed sixth in the hammer throw to lead Army with a 50.25m throw, while Aysia Salas also claimed a top-ten finish with a 47.11m mark to claim eighth-place.

Coach's Corner (Day One)
We had great weather today and great results. Our hammer and javelin athletes have been waiting since August to get to compete so there was an extra level of energy today as we got them started. The highlight of the day was the women's javelin. Alexa and Nicole hit some good throws. Alexa's second throw was particularly impressive. We expected her to get better this year but her 44 meter throw today was a bit of a surprise. She looked strong and technically sound. And then there was Brooke Stratman. She stole the show today. Her winning throw of 49.51 meters (162' 5") broke a school record that had stood since 1984. Coach Hershberger thought Brooke would break that record last year but she just couldn't connect her strength with her technique. This year she has set a new standard of fitness in the weight room and mastered her body positions on the runway. Today she had several outstanding throws but it was her 4th in the series that was the big one. Everything clicked for her on that throw. She has her sights set on a 50 meter throw in the future and I am certain that she will get there." - Director of Track & Field Mike Smith.

Day Two
Samantha Sheppard-Moore's second place finish in the pole vault was another highlight on day two for Army, with the junior posting a 3.85m mark following her 3.80m which was good for fourth-place at the Patriot League Indoor Championships.

Aysia Salas made her mark in the shot put, with a 14.55m throw for a first-place finish in the event. Karly Parcell won the discus throw with a 47.17m distance, followed by Sophia Dykstra who landed in third place with a 43.75m showing.

Hannah Andrews placed in the top-ten in the 800m with a time of 2:20.76. Ever Elegon followed closely behidn with a 2:21.32 mark.

In the high jump, Zoe Whaley led the way for Army with a 1.56m jump which placed her seventh in the event.

FULL RESULTS

Coach's Corner (Day Two)
"We had another light competition day at the Beach Opener today. Much of our team is taking a break from competition after the indoor conference meet last weekend. But our throwers are pushing forward and today we got to see our men and women in the discus. The women's discus was a big event for us last year and the results from the meet today suggest that it could be a big event again in 2023. Our women finished 1,3,6,7,8 at this meet with Karly Parcell taking home the win. She was one of our top women last year and looked great today in her first meet of the year. All of those women (Dykstra, Hancock, Emerson, Antwi, Ragazzini, Salas) can throw the discus well. Some of them can also can throw shot and hammer. We have a great competitive group of female throwers and it was a nice atmosphere by the ring today as everyone was cheering for each other on all of the throws. One other highlight from today was the performance of Samantha Sheppard Moore in the vault. Sam really wanted to vault this weekend coming off of her performance last weekend at the conference meet and today she was rewarded with the best jump of her life. She had some nice clearances throughout the competition and got over 3.85 meters (12' 7.5") on her first attempt to move to number 2 all time at army in the vault. Megan Gemar has the Academy record at 3.87 meters and that is within reach for Sam. We will spend much of the next week training out here in great weather and get back to competition next weekend at Fullerton." - Director of Track & Field Mike Smith.

Up Next
Army will compete in the Ben Brown Invite on March 10-11 hosted by Cal State Fullerton University.