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Men's Outdoor Track & Field Championship Preview
PRINCETON, N.J. -- Back at Yale's Cuyler
Athletic Complex & Dywer Field for the sixth time in
championships history, the 2011 Ivy League Heptagonal Outdoor Track
& Field Championship is set to be a thrilling battle, both in
individual events and overall team standings. The overlying
question is likely to be: can anyone take down eight-time reigning
team champion Cornell? The Big Red hold the longest winning streak
in championship history, surpassing Penn's seven-year run from
1971-77. Cornell's largest margin of victory during this stretch
was 71 points in 2008. In 2010, the Big Red won by a convincing 36
points. Princeton has been primed to make a run at the team title
for the past five seasons, finishing second each of those years.
The Tigers broke one Ivy League record during the regular-season of
competition and look to put forth a lineup to rival the Big
Red.
Brown Bears — Last spring, Brown turned in
its best performance since 2006, finishing third in the team
standings, which also ties the Bears' best finish ever...the Bears
had two event winners including Bryan Powlen in the discus (177-1)
and Craig Kinsley in the javelin (229-10)...Kinsley holds this
season's best mark among all Ivy competitors (250-5) and seeks to
become the League's first four-time winner in the event.
Columbia Lions — Columbia took home three
event titles in 2010, but still finished eighth in the team
standings for the third straight year...the Lions' best finish in
the past five years was a tie for fifth in 2007...Jeff Moriarty is
back to defend his 800m title...he will face stiff competition
across the League, including his teammate Matt Stewart who holds
the Lions' top time of the season (1:49.70)...2010 1,500m winner
Kyle Merber has not competed this spring, but the Lions' Adam
Behnke and Mark Feigen both enter this weekend ranked in the
League's top-10 this season in the 1,500m...Columbia also claimed
the 4x800m relay last spring, the first time the event was run at
the outdoor championship.
Cornell Big Red — The reigning meet
champion for the past eight years, Cornell will attempt to extend
that streak to nine this weekend...the Big Red return both dual
winners from a season ago, including Bruno Hortelano-Roig in the
100m and 200m dashes...his top times this season (10.52 and 21.30)
are both faster than his winning marks a year ago...look for
Cornell to contend again for the title in the 4x100m and 4x400m
relays, as well as Gary Jones in the triple jump and Nick Huber in
the 110m hurdles.
Dartmouth Big Green — Dartmouth has
finished fifth in four of the past five seasons...the Big Green's
top sprinter, Connor Reilly, took third in the 100m and will
contend for placewinner status again this season...Ethan Shaw
enters this weekend with one of the League's top 10,000m times this
season (29:35.17) and seeks All-Ivy status to cap his junior
season...in field events, David Irving ranks among the League's
best in the shot (53-1), discus (165-11) and hammer (203-4).
Harvard Crimson — The Crimson looks to
build on its seventh-place finish in 2010...Harvard captured one
event title last season - the 400m hurdles, won by Justin
Grinstead...Brian Hill enters the weekend with the top 800m time of
the season (1:49.57) and will attempt to bring the event title back
to Harvard for the first time since 2002...Dan Chenoweth will
contentdfor All-Ivy status in the 5,000m, coming into this weekend
with a season-best time of 13:45.92...Fedor Garin placed fifth last
season in the pole vault...this year, he and teammate Nico Weiler
hold two of the top marks in the League, both at 16-5.25.
Penn Quakers — After a third-place finish
in 2009, the Quakers took sixth as a team at the 2010
championship...Penn will look to freshman Maalik Reynolds to secure
the high jump championship, as he did just months ago at the
League's indoor championship...he holds an outdoor season-best mark
of 7-2.25...should he win, it would be the first high jump title
for Penn since 2000...Tim Carey will battle for placewinner status
in the 110m and 400m hurdles, entering the weekend with season-best
times of 14.86 and 52.44.
Princeton Tigers — The Tigers have placed
second to Cornell in the team standings for the past five seasons
and are looking to break through to first place for the first time
since 2000...Princeton won six events in 2010, including a dual win
by Donn Cabral...the junior will be out to defend those titles (the
10,000m and steeplechase)...Mark Amirault won the 5,000m a year ago
and enters this weekend with a season-best time of 13:45.69...Mike
Eddy is the two-time defending champ in the 400m dash...his
stiffest competition for three-peat may come in the form of
teammate Russell Dinkins...Austin Hollimon will look to reclaim the
200m dash title (he won the event in 2009)...the Tigers will also
chase their own record in the 4x400m relay after setting the Ivy
League record (3:07.57) just weeks ago.
Yale Bulldogs — Yale had one event winner
and seven total top-three finishes in 2010, placing fourth in the
team standings...Marty Evans was the runner-up in the 100m dash at
the 2010 championship and will battle for first this year...he
enters the weekend with a season-best time of 10.57...Evans also
holds the Bulldogs' top times this season in the 200m dash (21.37)
and the 400m dash (48.40)...Nathan Richards holds one of the
League's top times this season in the steeplechase (8:54.15)...he
placed sixth in the event at the 2010 championship...Michael Levine
will represent Yale in a pair of field events...he comes into the
weekend with one of the season's best marks in the discus
(170-8).
