Great start to the Big East meet for Cherry Hill East graduate Maya Drayton, now a junior at Georgetown.
Drayton ran a big PR of 24.16 to qualify for the 200 final, and she ran a near-PR 54.94 to qualify for the 400 final on Day of the Big East Championships at the George J. Sherman Family Sports Complex in Storrs, Conn.
In the 200, Drayton recorded an auto qualifier by placing second in the third of three semifinal races. The top two in each race plus the next two-fastest qualified for the final. Although the two other semis were wind-aided, giving those runners an advantage, the third semi was wind-legal at 1.7.
Drayton’s previous PR was a 24.39 in the prelims at the 2020 indoor Big East Championships at SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio. Her outdoor college best was 21.58 from last year’s Raleigh Relays, and her overall PR at 400 meters a 24.53 from the 2019 Meet of Champions at Northern Burlington.
Drayton was also in the third of three semis in the 400, and with the same qualifying format she placed second in that race as well.
She ran a season-best, set an outdoor PR and ran within 16-100ths of her lifetime best of 54.78, also from 2020 indoor Big Easts in Geneva but in the finals. Her outdoor best was a 55.83 from the Virginia Challenge in Charlottesville last month.
Drayton’s 200 time of 24.16 ranks No. 8 in Georgetown history, and is fastest since Amanda Kimbers set the school record of 23.28 at the 2012 Big East Championships. Her 400 time is No. 19 on the all-time Georgetown list but only 70-100ths of a second outside the top 10.
And kudos to Georgetown sports information for listing all-time top-25s in every event plus all-time bests in relay legs. By far the most comprehensive all-time lists I’ve seen on any college web site.
The 400 final is scheduled for 12:48 p.m. Saturday and the 200 final is at 1:50 p.m.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 