Last year, the Lehigh women’s track and field 4×400-meter relay team broke the school record at the Patriot League Championships in February with a time of 3:52.19.
However, records are meant to be broken — and this one didn’t last long.
Senior Svea Wickelgren, juniors Abby Klebe and Grace Kennedy, and first-year Lauren Bower achieved their shared goal of surpassing the record this year at the Indoor Classic in Philadelphia on Feb. 15.
The team logged a new record time of 3:48.50, beating the previous time by almost four seconds.
Two of the four runners on the current team, Wickelgren and Kennedy, were part of the record-setting team from last season and were confident going into the race at the Indoor Classic.
“It was very exciting to break the school record, and it was a goal that we had going into the race,” Kennedy said. “We went into the race knowing that we all had to run our best times, and I think we did just that.”
Wickelgren said the team was determined to compete together again, and they weren’t surprised by their success. Before the meet, she said she told the coaches the group should go for the record, confident that with their full relay team present, they could make it happen.
After breaking the record and winning the event, Wickelgren said the team is feeling even more assured and is looking to carry the momentum into the upcoming Patriot League Championships.
“The more confident you get, the more you believe in yourself going into races,” she said. “That’s something I’ve learned a lot this year, is just how the mental side really affects it.”
Klebe credits the team’s success to strong communication and friendship. She also said discussing relay lineup decisions with the coaching staff was crucial to their performance.
Klebe, who has broken multiple school records during the indoor season, is currently mentoring Bower, as the women’s track and field team has a tradition of pairing incoming first-years with returning athletes for guidance and support.
Klebe said breaking the record alongside Bower made the achievement even more special.
“It was definitely really exciting,” Klebe said. “It’s been a record that we’ve been trying to break over the last few years, and we’ve gotten really close. I think that this group of four girls has a pretty good chance of doing well at the championships.”
Bower said she appreciates the team’s close bond, which made breaking the record as a first-year even more meaningful.
“We do pretty much every single long run, workout and lift together,” Bower said. “It makes the sport all the more enjoyable to be accompanied (by) hardworking, accomplished and hilarious girls.”
The 4×400-meter team now looks to achieve similar success at the championships and finish the indoor season on a strong note before shifting focus to the outdoor season.
“The goal now is to win a medal,” Kennedy said. “It will be difficult, because there is a lot of good competition, but we proved that we are right there with everyone.”
The Indoor Patriot League Championship will take place on March 1 and 2 in Annapolis, Maryland. The following week, the team will look to compete in the ECAC/IC4A Championships in Boston, Massachusetts, concluding the indoor season.
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