Perhaps the most exciting competition of the day was a run by freshman middle distance runner Jack Morgan. Morgan had a "breakthrough race [in the 800m run]," said John Stanton-Geddes '04.
Morgan fearlessly took the first lap of the race in a blistering 56 seconds and then held on to complete the second lap only four seconds slower than his first to finish with a time of 1:55. The gutsy performance earned Morgan a first place finish and the respect of his coaches and teammates.
Fellow freshman Nathanial Mahlberg also had a strong day as he clenched his second victory of the season with a win in the 400m hurdles in 57.54, after placing second in the 110m hurdles.
The Jeffs flexed their muscles in the long distance events. This was particularly true in the two mile race. Matt Katz '05 took control of the race early and eventually won with a time of ten minutes and six seconds. He was quickly followed by three of his teammates. Veteran runner Rusty Ryan '02 claimed second in 10:25.5, while Zeke Phillips '05 grabbed third in 10:32.9 and seasoned runner Alex Lenkoski '03 captured fourth in 10:50.4. Amherst's impressive showing in the 3,200m put the Williams College long distance team to shame, as only one Eph had a decent finish.
Despite top finishes for the Jeffs in some events, Williams dominated the meet overall. Unfortunately, Amherst was plagued by a lack of runners in certain events. For example, after dominating the 3,200, there were no Amherst competitors left for the 1,500 meter race.
For the sprinters, Janak Chandrasoma '04 took third place in the 200m with a time of 22.5. Chandrasoma also contributed to the second place finish of the 4x100 relay team, who sprinted across the line with a time of 44.25. The Jeffs distance medley relay, composed of Stanton-Geddes, Jacob Cooper '02, Jay Wagstaff '05 and Andy Schneider '04, managed a third place finish, while the "B" distance medley relay team finished close behind in fourth place.
The meet took an unfortunate turn of events in the 400m hurdles when co-captain Pat Hayes '03 sustained a potentially season-ending injury. The junior got off to a strong start, but on the third hurdle, he pulled his hamstring and will be unable to compete in the next race.
This coming weekend, the Jeffs will host the infamous Little IIIs meet. The competition, which is scheduled to kick off at noon on the Amherst track, will be an important event for the Jeffs as they will face heated rivals Williams and Wesleyan University.