Junior social work major Lauren Deas placed sixth overall in the 55-meter dash at the National Collegiate Athletic Association Indoor Track and Field Championships at Rose Hulman College on Saturday, March 10. With that finish, Deas earned her All-American honor for the third year in a row.
“I should’ve come in first,” said Deas. “I thought I did perfect!”
However, Coach James Williams disagrees with her statement. Throughout the race, Deas was in first until the 30-meter mark, where “lack of discipline,” according Williams, was her main problem.
“Her shoulders were parallel to the ground, instead of standing straight,” Williams said.
Deas was “thinking while running instead of racing,” Williams said.
Deas was the only runner from Cabrini to attend the NCAA Championship. Two other Cabrini athletes, sophomore sociology major Leslie Williams and freshman history major Christiana Taylor, both qualified for the race.
According to Coach Tom O’Hora, there are high standards to meet. Only 14 athletes are accepted in to each event. “It’s hard to even qualify,” O’Hora said.
Last weekend, the Cavaliers came in second place at the Eastern College Athletic Conference in Indiana. This is the highest standing ever for Cabrini at the ECAC.
Deas came in first, which allowed her to advance to the NCAA championships. However, seven other Cabrini athletes placed to earn the second place standing.
On March 12, Coach Williams was named ECAC Coach of the Meet due to the second place win in the ECAC championship.
Also, this past season, Cabrini placed for the 10th-fastest time in the country out of all Division I, Divison II and Division III schools in the 4 x 200-meter relay. Williams, Deas, Taylor and freshman psychology major Nailah Smith were the athletes to win that title.
The video of the Cabrini Cavaliers winning the 4 x 200-meter relay can be found on armorytrack.com, under the collegiate invitational coverage.
Although they’ve been winning, Coach Williams feels this is not the best season. “On an alphabet scale, I would give this year’s team a C plus,” he said.
Coach Williams is hoping to break the top four in the country next season. “The talents there, it’s just how disciplined and focused are we to get it done.”
