Junior Victoria “Tori” Capozziello recently broke North Central’s indoor record for the 600-meter run. The previous record holder, Cindy Kelch, held the record with the time of 1:40.8 for 28 years, setting the mark in 1988.
During the men’s and women’s indoor meet at Grand Valley State University, Capozziello was able to beat Kelch’s record by 0.64 seconds. Her official time was 1:40.16. Though it may seem to be a minor difference to someone who does not casually watch track and field runs, this is an honorable accomplishment achieved by Capozziello.
Capozziello wasn’t the only one who broke Kelch’s record during that race; sophomore Allison Hartman was also able to outrun the record with the time of 1:40.46, just .3 seconds behind Capozziello, giving herself the title of the second-fastest runner in the 600-meter run in North Central history. Currently, her time is the 10th fastest in Divison-III track and field. This run made for Hartman’s second record-breaking match in a row.
The heat that Cappozziello ran in consisted of mostly North Central runners, and one runner from another school. Cappozziello finished eighth overall for the 600-meter run event.
“When you can lose yourself in the race and focus on working as a group, great things can happen,” Capozziello said.
With the team running together, Capozziello said that having an attitude of running and having fun helped her in breaking the record.
Breaking the record was something that wasn’t even on Cappozziello’s mind, especially so early in the season. She had calf surgery a year before, and her main goal this year was to stay healthy and get back into a competitive mindset.
Injuries are always tough for any athlete, but with Cappozziello’s determination and skill, she was able to bounce back and make a strong statement by breaking the record North Central record in the team’s first matchup.
Students and staff alike can see that Capozziello is a superb runner for the track team. Not only was she able to continue to impress us with her times, but she showed great spirit for her team and for North Central. Since her record-breaking performance in the 600-meter, she’s also set indoor personal records for herself in the 200-meter, 800-meter and mile runs.
