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The 2021 Centennial Conference Women's Outdoor Track & Field Championship is set for this Saturday, May 1 at Muhlenberg in Allentown, Pa. Twenty of the 21 events will take place at Muhlenberg, with the hammer throw being hosted by Ursinus and Johns Hopkins on Friday afternoon. Saturday's action will begin at 11:30 a.m. and can be viewed on CentennialConference.tv.
Johns Hopkins enters the meet as the 10-time defending champion, with its last title coming in 2019, also held at Muhlenberg. The 2020 championship was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dickinson, Franklin & Marshall, Gettysburg, McDaniel, Muhlenberg and Ursinus will look to snap the Blue Jays' title streak this weekend.
Despite a limited number of competitions this spring, Centennial athletes have posted impressive marks that rank among the leaders in Division III. A total of 17 marks from 14 different athletes rank in the top-50 nationally entering this weekend's championship.
JHU's Annie Gutierrez, the 2020 Centennial Indoor Co-Field Performer of the Year, boasts three marks in the top-50 nationally. Gutierrez's top mark is in the pole vault, where she ranks fifth in the nation at 3.74 meters. The Blue Jay senior is also 13th in the 100 hurdles (14.73) and tied for 50th in the long jump (5.38m).
Dickinson's Isabel Cardi, the 2020 Centennial Indoor Track Performer of the Year and 2019 Centennial Cross Country Runner of the Year, enters with the fourth-best time in Division III in the 5,000 meters (16:44.18).
The 5,000 is an event to watch out for on Saturday, as JHU's Alex Ross (17:11.35, 10th) and Dickinson's Elaina Clancy (17:27.24, 14th) join Cardi among the top-15 nationally.
The 1500 meters will feature two athletes ranked top-15 nationally and three in the top 50. JHU's Ella Baran is seventh in the nation at 4:33.58, while teammates Therese Olshanski (4:38.88, 13th) and Paloma Hancock (4:45.03, 41st) will also vie for gold.
Olshanski is also ranked in the 800 meters (2:16.95, 33rd), just behind teammate Ariel Keklak (2:14.64).
A pair of field events - the javelin and long jump - will feature multiple athletes in the national ranks competing for medals. In the javelin, JHU's Veronica Montane is the favorite with a seed mark of 42.56 meters, good for seventh in the nation. Ursinus' Isabelle Deal is close behind at 40.97m (11th), while the Gettysburg duo of Katherine Mangione (37.36m, 41st) and Holly Ferrara (37.22m, 45th) will also look to make their way onto the medal stand.
In the long jump, JHU's Victoria Kadiri is sixth in DIII at 5.69 meters, while Gutierrez (5.38m) and Dickinson's Mariana Penuela Rodriguez (5.38m) are tied for 50th.