Women
The women's events started with the 5,000-meter run. Kim Partee '08 placed third, despite an early trip-up with an opponent that left both runners on the track. Nevertheless, the fall prevented her from improving her time from last week. In the same race, rookie Nicole Anderson placed fifth, although, like Partee, she was unable to lower her time. In the second heat, fellow rookie Liz Dalton finished her season on a positive note by cutting 10 seconds off her personal record for the event, placing 15th overall.
Sophomore Heather Wilson, who had previously qualified for the NCAA meet in the 5,000, dropped down to the mile-run and earned a strong eighth-place finish. In the 800-meter run, senior co-captain Ginger Polich grabbed sixth place, while Caitlin Murphy '09 ran just off of her season-best time en route to a ninth-place finish. In the 300-meter race, a rare event in collegiate meets, first-year Jenny Mancino shattered the school record with her 44.59 ninth-place finish.
In the relays, the Amherst women came together for some solid performances to get them ready for next weekend. Junior Maria Millard's blistering time of 59.8 seconds in the first leg of the 4x400-meter relay helped her team-which included senior co-captain Julia Rucker, first-year Carly Levenson and junior Hannah Campbell-secure fourth place. The distance medley relay team of first-year Zandra Walton, Murphy, Polich and junior Shauneen Garrahan managed to finish just 0.25 seconds off first-place Wheaton College, despite not turning in the best Jeff race of the season.
Overall, the women's team did not reach all of their personal goals, but it was still largely a successful meet that gave some runners their last chances to improve and allowed others to practice before they face the best runners in the country this weekend.
Men
Like the women, the men saw some stellar personal improvements. In the 5,000, Mike Harbus '08 finally had the breakthrough race he had been waiting for, as he clinched third place in 15:05. Senior co-captain Dave Schreiner passed the finish line right behind Harbus in 15:08 in a fourth-place finish that was slightly off his usual pace.
In the 800, junior co-captain Sam Hayman just missed the NCAA provisional standard with his personal-best time of 1:54, earning him fourth place. First-year Steve Stewart also nabbed a fourth-place spot, posting a time of 51.79 in the 400-meter dash.
Hayman and Stewart combined with John Babbott '07 and Basile Beaty '08 to achieve third-place in the 4x400-meter relay.
Despite some disappointments, Head Coach Erik Nedeau called the meet an overall success. "We were hoping that we might have a couple of NCAA improvements and though that did not happen, we did finish with some great races for people so that was very encouraging," he said. "Hopefully we will get some great results out in Minnesota to come home with."
The women's distance medley relay team, and Wilson, who will be competing in the 5,000, will return to the track for one last time this indoor season at the NCAA Championships hosted by St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn.