Taylor’s 4×8 Finishes as Runner-Up, VanderWall Earns All-American Honors
GULF SHORES, Ala. – The Taylor women’s track and field team wrapped up the 2022 NAIA Outdoor National Championships with excitement. TU’s 4×800-meter relay team finished as the national runner-up and sophomore Ahna VanderWall claimed All-American honors in the steeplechase.
In one of the most exhilarating races in TU 4×8 history, the Taylor dream team of Brooke Studnicki, Giovanna Domene, Corinne O’Leary and Abbey Brennan toed the line one last time as a foursome. This historic group of three seniors and one junior has accomplished more than any other 4×8 squad in the TU program record books. They claimed the 2021 Indoor 4×8 National Title, finished as the 2022 NAIA Indoor Runners-Up and wrapped up their successful story as national runners-up this afternoon. The group clocked a blazing time of 8:59.35, breaking the 9:00-barrier for the first time ever and setting the TU school record, again. The group broke the school record once before this season already, and owns the indoor 4×8 program record as well. Studicki, Domene, O’Leary and Brennan closed their 2022 campaign with excellence.
TU had three women compete in the 3,000-meter steeplechase finals. Ahna VanderWall repeated as an All-American, finishing seventh in the race today and seventh one year ago. The sophomore battled with the top-eight throughout the course of the race, before crossing the line and clocking a time of 10:47.47. Giovanna Domene returned to the track for her second race of the day, not long after claiming runner-up status in the 4×800-meter relay. Domene finished in 11th place overall, logging a time of 11:15.16. Mollie Gamble had an unexpected turn of events as she arrived at the track expecting her sophomore season to be done. However, the barrier height in yesterday’s prelims was appealed, therefore permitting all runners from that heat to run in finals. Gamble quickly shifted into a racing mindset and competed hard as she cruised to a 15th-place finish with a time of 11:27.30.
The Taylor women finished with five All-Americans in two events and tallied a total of 10 points, finishing 26th place in the team standings.
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