As fifth week quickly approaches, Lawrence University Track and Field teams are still performing well. Junior Josh Janusiak seems to be getting faster with every track meet. For the second consecutive race, Janusiak beat his own school record in the 5,000 meters at the Brian Clay Invitational at Azusa Pacific University. On April 12, at the UW-Platteville Invitational, Janusiak ran a time of 14:42.86 to break the previous record of 15:05.60. On Thursday, Janusiak turned on the afterburners to get a time of 14:34.55 at the Brian Clay Invitational at Azusa Pacific University. This performance was especially impressive because he ran against a field made up of Division I runners from across the nation. Janusiak’s time currently ranks eighth in all of NCAA Division III.
Saturday, April 21, was also a record-breaking affair for Lawrence University track and field teams. Sophomore Will Nichols broke the school record in the 200 meters at the Don Church Twilight Meet at Wheaton College. Nichols finished third in the 200 but beat the school record by .02 seconds. The new record is now 22.46. Nichols meant business on the track this weekend, as he also finished fifth in the 100 meters. Lawrence University Men’s 4×100 relay team finished sixth in the 4×100 relay. This relay team consists of Nichols, freshman Ethan Simmons, [freshman Tom Goldberg and freshman Alex DuVall.
On the women’s side, sophomore Christina Sedall raced to third place in the 3,000 steeplechase in 12:02.71. Senior Eryn Blagg placed fourth in the javelin with a throw of 82-2. She also teamed up with Freshmen Emily Hoeft, sophomore Mikaela Hintz and freshman Nora Robinson to take sixth in the 4×100 relay at 53.99 seconds. The star of the Women’s team this week was junior Molly Doruska. Doruska ran to victory in the 10,000 meters in a time of 42:07.36. During my interview with Doruska, this is what she had to say about her victory this weekend.
“I was quite nervous before the start of the race. The 10k is my best event, and it is only done in the spring. Last year I was abroad, so it had been a while since I ran one, and I wasn’t sure how it was going to go. During my race, especially at the beginning, I felt very strong and relaxed. The 10k is such an individual mental battle, so I was just trying to stay focused, lock into my pace, and take it one lap at a time. The end of the race is extremely exhausting, so I was just trying to give it everything I had and finish strong. Afterwards, I was incredibly happy with how I ran and felt just pure joy. It was great to celebrate the run with my teammates and Head Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Coach and Head Men’s and Women’s Track and Field] Coach [Jason] Fast, who met me at the finish line. I didn’t really do anything different before racing. I had my usual bagel with cream cheese for breakfast, tried to space out lunch so I had plenty of time to digest and I spent time mentally preparing my self to grind out the race. The atmosphere of the 10k was absolutely amazing. It was the last event on the track, and since it was a twilight meet that started later, we were running under the lights. The weather was also perfect conditions for racing. Because it was last, all of my teammates were cheering me on. As I got towards the end, the energy coming from the crowd was unlike anything I have ever experienced racing. All of my teammates were so excited and even the host school, Wheaton, was cheering for me. It was truly incredible to have the entire stadium cheering as I finished.”
