"We were focused on achieving personal bests and [NCAA] qualifiers," said sophomore Caitlin McDermott-Murphy. Classmate Jack Kiley added, "We knew we couldn't compete for the overall title, but we concentrated on placing high, especially in the distance events."
There can be no doubt that these goals were realized, as the men and the women saw several team members run to personal bests and post various records. The women finished in fifth place, while the men's ninth-place performance equalled their best showing in five years.
Women
The distance crew once again set the tone for the Jeffs. Senior tri-captain Shauneen Garrahan finished second in the 1,500-meter run, while Murphy came in fifth. Nicole Anderson '09 placed third in the 10,000-meter run, while two more Jeffs-Elise Tropiano '09 and Sophie Galleher '10-recorded top-five finishes in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. The highlight of the day, though, was the Jeffs' sweep of the top three spots in the 5,000-meter run, as Garrahan, Heather Wilson '08 and Katie Moravec '08 commanded the podium. In the event, Garrahan's time of 16:51 broke both the NESCAC and facility record.
Like Garrahan, senior tri-captain Maria Millard continued to run through the record books, smashing her own school record in the 400-meter hurdles en route to victory. Her time of 63.53 provisionally qualified Millard for the NCAA Championships in late May.
The sprint squad came up with valuable points as well. Carly Levenson '09 placed eighth in the 400-meter dash, and also ran on two successful relays. In the 4x100-meter relay, Levenson was joined by senior tri-captain Hanna Campbell and sophomores Mattie Baker and Jenny Mancino as the Jeffs finished sixth. Campbell, Levenson, Millard and first-year Mary Doris Reggie rounded out the sprint scoring with a fourth-place finish in the 4x400-meter relay.
Last Thursday, Garrahan, Tropiano and Wilson traveled to Philadelphia for the Penn Relays, the nation's oldest and most prestigious track meet. Garrahan ran the steeplechase in a field that included a mix of collegiate runners as well as some from the Olympic Development Program. Her time of 10:17 broke her own school record by seven seconds and was good for third place overall, second among collegians. In the 5,000, Tropiano ran against a field of nearly all ODP runners, but her personal record of 17:05 was still good for 12th place and a provisional NCAA qualifier. Wilson had a similarly successful race in the 10,000, finishing 12th, recording a personal best, and earning an automatic NCAA bid.
Men
First-year Dan Murner led the way for the men with a second-place finish in the 5,000. His time of 15:07 is the fastest ever run by a rookie Amherst harrier, and came after leading the field most of the way. The reticent Murner allowed only that "[he] was excited to see the benefits of [his] training," but it is clear that his race inspired the entire team. Senior tri-captain John Babbott joined him near the top of the pack in the 5,000, finishing fourth while running to a personal best time.
Nate Freese '07 had a breakout performance in the 10,000-meter run as a powerful kick carried him to second place. Harrison Lakehomer '09 also had a strong 10,000, finishing eighth. The Jeffs had a pair of runners place highly in the 800-meter run as well, as Basile Beaty '08 and Kiley came in fourth and seventh, respectively. Two first-years recorded excellent times against a tough field in the 1,500-meter run, with Carlyle Eubank in seventh and Jimmy Swanson in 13th.
Next Saturday will see the Jeffs travel to the Div. III New England Championships at Springfield College. The teams hope to build on the personal bests and high finishes of this past weekend, as many runners will get another shot at the competitors they just faced.
NESCAC Notes
The Williams women captured the NESCAC Championship for the 11th time in 13 years with a victory over runner-up Middlebury. The men's side saw a dramatic ending, as Tufts tied the heavily favored Williams team.