Instead of running their usual Tuesday workouts, both the men's and the women's teams competed in yesterday's meet, which only featured events 1500 meters long and shorter. The competition provided a fun atmosphere for the Jeffs and resulted in a lot of fast times.
"Earlier in the season we had a meet cancelled due to rain," said Margaret Davis '06. "Tuesday's meet was a good opportunity to make make up that lost race day as we approach the championship season."
Women's Track
At the George Davis Invitational, senior co-captain Carter Hamill led the women, as she shaved seven seconds off her impressive 5000-meter time from last week, finishing in first place with a time of 16:47.55. Hamill's previous performance had already earned her the opportunity to defend her title at the NCAA Championships.
Sophomore Shauneen Garrahan had an outstanding showing as well. She followed Hamill to a second-place finish in the 5000 and won the 1500-meter run, earning NCAA provisional qualifications in each.
Co-captain Lee-Jay Henry '05 claimed eighth in the 100-meter hurdles. First-year Heather Wilson and Davis placed second and fourth, respectively, in the 3000-meter run, while Nzingha Tyehmeba '06 took fourth in the 400-meter hurdles.
The women also had an impressive showing in the 4x400-meter relay, in which Henry, Julia Rucker '06, and sophomores Keyonte Sutherland and Hannah Campbell raced to a second-place finish.
On the field, junior Krissy Morin placed fourth in the javelin throw and Henry rounded out a terrific weekend with a second-place finish in the long jump.
Men's Track
At UMass-Lowell, senior Michael Page combined hurdling and long-distance running skills for an impressive victory in the 3000-meter steeplechase, earning a provisional qualification to Nationals with a time of 9:17.51. Sophomores Robert Boley and Cooper Knowlton followed with fifth- and eighth-place finishes, respectively. In the two-mile run, first-year Tomas Morrissey finished fifth, followed by a seventh-place effort by Matt Katz '05. John Babbot '07 placed sixth in the 1500 and teamed up with classmates Sam Hayman and Jon Ettinger and first-year Rom Cabeza to earn seventh in the 4x400.
The most impressive performance from yesterday's quad-meet was senior co-captain Jack Morgan's first-place finish in the 800-meter run. World-class runner and Head Coach Erik Nedeau paced Morgan through the first 650 meters, which helped Morgan crossed the line in a blistering 1:54.44.
"This meet should be a good confidence builder for Saturday at Little Threes, especially because we'll be back on our own track," said Hamill.
Indeed, the Jeffs will get back on track on Saturday at noon when they host the Little Three Championships at Pratt Field, a home-court advantage that comes Amherst's way only once every three years.