Close followers of The Q will remember that Tanise Thornton-Fillyaw was featured as an athlete to watch last fall. Since then, the cross country team has joined in with the rest of the track team to compete in the indoor track season this winter. Thornton-Fillyaw continues to impress, as do her counterparts across the track team.
Competing in her freshman season, Thornton-Fillyaw is experiencing every race for the first time this year. However, she didn’t let the rookie title hold her back in the fall, during which she was ranked in the top five freshmen in the Mid-Atlantic region, and she isn’t letting it hold her back now.
The track team opened their indoor season at the Armory in New York City, and at that meet, Thornton-Fillyaw set two new program records. She placed first in the 1000 with a time of 3:20.22, beating Marisa Long’s mark from 2007 by over nine seconds. She also placed second in the 600, with a time of 1:39.13. This time shattered the previous one, set by Amy McLellan in 2007, by over 22 seconds.
Her season only improved from there. On January 21, she broke school records in the 800 and 1600. In the 800 she ran a 2:25.45, the second-fastest time in the Landmark Conference this season. In the 1600, she ran a time of 5:32.03. On February 04, Thornton-Fillyaw set a new personal best by over two seconds in the 400, recording a time of 1:00.50. Her time is the second-fastest in the Landmark this season.
A few weeks ago, she was one of an elite few to travel to Boston for a competitive meet. As she’s proven time and time again, Thornton-Fillyaw thrives under pressure – despite the high level of competition at the meet, she stepped up and broke her own record from earlier in the season in the 800m, with a time of 2:17.54.
Thornton-Fillyaw isn’t the only member of the track team having a record breaking season. Carter Hinton-Ayodele, a jumper who competed in the National Championships last year, continues to be highly ranked. After the Lebanon Valley Dutchmen Indoor Meet at the Arnold Sports Center on January 13, Hinton-Ayodele’s marks were ranked No. 8 in Division III. Tahira Bakare set the school record in the 300 meter dash on December 03, with a time of 43.58 seconds. At that same meet, Dorian Cheney broke her own record in the high jump with a 1.57-meter mark.
Now, Thornton-Fillyaw and the track team are focused on championships. They will compete at Susquehanna for the Landmark Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships on February 25, before beginning their transition to outdoor track.
Feature Image of Thornton-Fillyaw courtesy of Goucher Athletics.
