The women placed 14th, led by standout Carter Hamill '05. In her dazzling 3000m victory, her final time of 9:53.35 broke her personal record by almost 20 seconds. She was also the first women's runner in the school's history to receive an individual Open New England title. "She's an amazing runner," said tri-captain Annie Perez '02. "She races very well."
The relay teams also had strong showings. The 4 x 800m relay team, which included Perez, Becca Woo '02, Kate Hamill '03 and Laurel Kilgour '03, overcame an early dropped baton to place fifth with 9:34.23, their personal best. "It was early, so there was time to make it up," said Perez.
The distance medley relay team, consisting of Aly Venti '04, Kilgour, K. Hamill and Woo, also came in fifth with a season's best 12:16.96. Venti also participated in the 4 x 400m relay along with Kate Ferris '05, tri-captain Amie Shei '02 and Diana Rancourt '02; their time was 4:14.01, good for 14th place.
Shei also competed in the 500m earlier that day. She just missed the school record by .16 seconds, but was able to pull in for eighth place and receive All-New England honors. Rancourt also earned All-New England honors with her eighth place finish in the 1000m.
Woo ran a speedy mile in 5:11.97 to get the last spot for All-New England honors. Coming in less than nine seconds after her in the mile was Venti, in her third race of the day, to grab 13th place. In the 5000m, Erinn White '04 and tri-captain Emily Lobsenz '02 came in strong, one right after another in 13th and 14th place.
The men's team did not have as many members racing, but still demonstrated a tough competitive spirit. Like the women, their relay teams stood out in performance. The 4 x 400m relay team, made up of Brian Hart '03, Nathaniel Mahlberg '05, Doug Norton '05 and Janak Chandrasoma '04, ran to their season's best time, coming in 18th place with a time of 3:26.27.
The 4 x 800m team, consisting of Jack Morgan '05, Jamal Aaron '05, John Stanton-Geddes '04 and Andy Schneider '04, broke their personal record by almost 10 seconds with a time of 7:56.10.
In the trials, many runners qualified for races or moved closer to qualifying for the finals.
In the 1000m, Schneider ran a skilled race in 2:34.15 to lower his personal record and qualify for the upcoming ECACs.
Stanton-Geddes had his fastest mile, but is still trying to perfect it in order to qualify for the NCAAs. Tri-captain Pat Hayes '03 ran the 55m hurdles at a swift 8.03.
This weekend, the men's and women's indoor track will join again at Tufts for the ECACs.
"There will be a lot of good runners there," said Perez. "It's our last chance before Nationals, so people will be trying to make qualifications there."