Cornell began competition at the Big Red Invitational on April 11 at the Kane Sports Complex, with Sade Falese finishing the first day of the women’s heptathlon in fifth place out of six competitors.
The opening day featured only four events for the heptathlon, and some were moved inside Barton Hall due to windy conditions. After completing these events, Falese accumulated a total of 2,324 points.
Falese participated in her first-ever 100-meter hurdles race, placing sixth with a time of 16.33 seconds. She then finished fifth in the high jump by clearing 1.40 meters and took fourth place in shot put with a throw of 8.15 meters. Her strongest performance came in the 200 meters where she finished third with a time of 26.8 seconds.
“Sade brought good energy and is competing well in her first ever heptathlon,” head coach Mike Henderson said. “She almost PR’d in three of the four events from today and completed the first 100m hurdle race of her life. She has the potential for a strong day two with her long jump and 800 tomorrow, so it could be an exciting weekend for her.” Henderson also said that there is optimism for both Falese and other team members as more events are scheduled Sunday.
“For the team as a whole, we are very much looking forward to getting out and competing well at our only home meet of the season,” Henderson said. “After some solid performances in Florida, we are looking to take another step forward this weekend. There is good competition at the meet, but I think we should be able to collect a lot of wins this weekend, both on the track and in the field.” The full slate of events will continue Sunday starting at 10 a.m., when live results will be available online.
