Track Women Win, Men Third at Smith
By Liza Gilhuly ’12 and Nikki Starrett ’12, Contributing Writers
This past Saturday, the men’s and women’s indoor track teams gave yet another fine performance at the Tartan Invitational hosted by Smith College. The women’s team finished first among 13 teams. On the men’s side, the Lord Jeffs pulled a third place finish among 11 teams, falling only to Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Both the men and women relied on several outstanding individual finishes for their success.

Men

The men’s team did particularly well in long distance events with junior Eric Holaday snagging first in the 5000 meter in 15:55.76 and junior Daniel Murner, senior Peter Foote and junior Will Yochum rounding out the top three in the mile. Will Bell, a junior, also cruised into first place in the 1000 meter run in 2:32.46, while sophomore Steve Corsello, junior Jimmy Swanson and junior Kit Callahan dominated the 800 meter run, taking first, second and third place, respectively.

The men also proved they were competent in shorter distances with first-year Ben Scheetz extending his winning streak by taking first in the 400 meter dash in a lightning-fast 50.76.

The Lord Jeffs’ performance was also outstanding in the distance relays with first place finish in the 4x800 meter relay in 8:09.35. The 4x400 meter “A” relay team also grabbed a first place finish with a time of 3:26.14, while the “B” relay team was still able to place fifth.

On the sprinting side, the men put in their best effort with senior Anthony “A-Train” Fuller and junior Larry Thompson making the top fifteen in the 200 meter dash. Fuller also placed eighth in the finals for the 55 meter dash with a time of 6.86.

Senior tri-captain Peter Foote feels confident that the men’s team will continue to perform well next weekend at Boston University (BU). “Next week should be exciting with so many of the guys running well. Meets at BU always have great competition and people usually drop great times there,” he remarked.

Women

The women had several key contributors to their overall finish of first place at Tartan. Junior Cate Knuff and sophomore Melissa Pritchard were able to grab first and second place in the 5000 meter run with times of 19:07.26 and 19:29.40. Senior tri-captain Elise Tropiano finished seventeen seconds ahead of the pack in the 3000 meter with a time of 10:01.44.

Junior Sophie Galleher swiped first place in the one mile run in 5:24.06. Her teammates sophomore Hallie Schwabb, senior Liz Dalton and star first-year Shannon McKenna followed close behind, and all finished in the top six.

Seniors Zandra Walton and Molly Priedemann ruled over the competition in the 1000 meter run, placing first and second. Another star first-year, Eliza Schalch, dominated the 800 meter run with a first place finish in 2:24.07. In the 600 meter run, senior Carly Levenson, sophomore Susan Wasserman and junior Mary Doris Reggie rounded out the top three spots.

Both relay teams took first as well with the 4x400 team finishing in 4:07.59 and the 4x800 meter team in 9:53.34. Several sprinters also contributed to the Lord Jeffs’ win at Tartan. Seniors Kathryn Loomis and Kate Silverman and sophomore Emily Dick took third, fourth and fifth, respectively, in the 400 meter dash. First-year Jordan Roehl earned first place in shotput with a throw of 10.98 meters.

“It was a great meet,” Tropiano reflected. She views the victory as a turning point for the women’s team. “I think this was the first meet (of many to come) which revealed the hard work that everyone has been putting in for the last month. It bodes well for the rest of the season!”

Overall, the Lord Jeffs had an impressive showing at Smith on Saturday. Next weekend, both teams will look to continue their successful season at Boston University’s Valentine Classic.

Issue 15, Submitted 2009-02-11 00:14:35