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Indoor Track & Field Update - 4
USTFCCCA Rankings | Current Top NCAA Times
PRINCETON, N.J. -- The Ancient Eight are
rounding into form as they get closer and closer to the Ivy League
Heptagonal Indoor Track & Field Championships, to be held on
Feb. 23-24 at Harvard. The League features a number of top-10 NCAA
marks this season, including a pair by Dartmouth junior
Abbey D’Agostino, who ranks No. 1 in the
country in both the mile and 3,000m.
Here is a team-by-team look at the Ivy League squads this
season:
Brown
The Bears competed in a pair of events over the weekend: the Joe
Donahue Games, hosted by Northeastern at the Reggie Lewis Center,
and the Terrier Invitational, hosted by Boston University.
The women came in fourth in the Joe Donahue Games out of 12
schools, including Ivy League foe Dartmouth (eighth). A number of
Bears reached the podium in their respective events, including
freshman Lily Harrington’s (5:06) and senior
Elaine Kuckertz (5:08), who went 2-3 in the mile. Senior
Lacey Craker took the weight throw title with a
toss of 17.55m. In the Terrier Invitational, senior Bree
Shugarts placed sixth in the mile (4:53.6), fellow
classmate Olivia Mickle finished eighth in the
3,000m (9:41) and sophomore Alex Stanton took
ninth in the 400m (56.3).
The men’s team earned the team title at the Joe Donahue
Games, recording 104 points to hold off New Hampshire (98).
Freshman Anthony Mazola had a banner day, winning
the 200m with a time of 21.93 and placing second in the 60m dash.
Senior Zach Keefer won the 500m in 1:06.5 and the
Bears went 1-2-4 in the 3,000m, with junior Brandon
Boyle (8:37) winning the event. At the Terrier
Invitational, Brown recorded a number of top-10 performances,
including senior Erik Berg, who placed 11th in the
mile with a time of 4:03.9 in a field that included US Olympian
Galen Rupp. Berg’s time is the
fourth-fastest in Brown history.
Next event: Saturday, Feb. 2, Coaches Tribute
– Kingston, R.I.
Columbia
The Lions competed in the Metropolitan Indoor Track & Field
Championships at the Armory in New York. The women won the event
for the second-straight year and moved up to No. 78 in the latest
USTFCCCA poll. Columbia earned 172 points, more than 60 ahead of
the second-place team, St. John’s (111.5). The Lions’
distance runners posted wins in the 1,000m, one mile, 5,000m, and
4,000m distance medley runs. Moreover, the Lions went 1-2 in both
the 1,000m and one mile runs, won by seniors Erin
Gillingham (2:48.25) and Mallory Anderson
(4:58.92), respectively. Both runners were also part of the 4,000m
distance medley winning team. Junior Marvellous
Iheukwumere won the 200m with a time of 24.29, while the
Lions proved successful in the field events as well, winning the
high jump and triple jump, including a 1-2-3 sweep in the latter
event.
The men finished sixth in the Metropolitan Championships, with 49
points. Freshman Tait Rutherford won the 3,000m in
8:29.58 and the 4,000m distance medley team placed first with a
time of 10:05.29. The Lions also competed in the NYRR Night at the
Armory event, going 1-2-3 in the mile with sophomore Paul
Ross taking first (4:15.35). Columbia again won the 3,000m
title, this time by sophomore Ben Eversole, who
crossed the line in 8:20.97.
Next event: Friday-Saturday, Feb. 1-2, New Balance
Collegiate Invitational – The Armory (New York)
Cornell
Both Big Red squads broke a number of school records while
competing in Boston University’s Terrier Classic.
The women are No. 70 in the latest USTFCCCA poll. Junior
Rachel Sorna became the first runner in program
history to break the 16-minute mark in the 5,000m, crossing the
line in 15:53.76 to place third and break a 21-year-old school
record, held by Pam Hunt. Sorna is one of four
runners across the nation to break the 16-minute mark in 2012-13
and her time ranks third in the country so far this season. Senior
Katie Kellner finished sixth in the same event
with a time of 16:11.85, currently the seventh-best mark in the
nation. Junior Emily Shearer placed second in the
3,000m with a personal record 9:20.86, less than a tenth of a
second away from first-place and fellow classmate
Ebolutelese Airewele took second in the 400m
(55.29). In the field events, senior Claire
Dishong won the pole vault by clearing 12-5 ½.
The men come in at No. 31 in the latest USTFCCCA national rankings.
Sophomore Stephen Mozia holds the second-best shot
put mark in the country (65-3 ¼) and junior Montez
Blair is tied for fourth in the nation in the high jump
with a mark of 7-5 ¼. In the Terrier Invitational, senior
Bruno Hortelano-Roig broke the school’s 200m
record with a time of 21.39, coming in sixth in the process.
Cornell’s lone victory in the invitational came in the shot
put, where Mozia’s heave of 63-4 ¼ was good enough for
first.
Next event: Saturday, Feb. 2, Sykes-Sabock
Challenge – University Park, Pa.
Dartmouth
For the women, junior Abbey D’Agostino holds
the fastest times in the country in the mile and 3,000m at 4:31.47
and 8:55.41, respectively. D’Agostino’s teammates took
part in the Terrier Invitational over the weekend, marking the
third time the Big Green competed in Boston this season. Freshman
Abby Markowitz’s time of 2:54.11 was good
enough for second-place in the 1,000m and senior Katie
Sullivan placed sixth out of almost 90 runners in the
3,000m with a time of 9:40.22.
For the men, junior John Bleday placed first in
the 3,000m with a time of 7:59.33, the third-fastest time in the
NCAA this season. He became one of four runners in the country to
break the eight-minute mark in 2012-13. Senior Jonathan
Gault earned second in the 5,000m, crossing the line in
14:25.81.
Next events: Friday, Feb. 1, New Balance
Collegiate Invite – The Armory (New York)/Saturday, Feb. 2,
Dartmouth Classic – Hanover, N.H.
Harvard
The Crimson competed in a pair of events over the weekend, the
Texas A&M Challenge and the Terrier Invitational.
The women’s team comes in at No. 53 in the latest USTFCCCA
national poll. In the Texas A&M Challenge, freshman
Martina Salander placed second in the pentathlon
with 4,094 points, tying her for fifth in the NCAA so far this
season. She is the first Crimson to surpass 4,000 points, breaking
the school record in the process. In the Terrier Invitational, the
4x400m relay team placed first, beating 40 other squads, with a
winning time of 3:44.08, the third fastest indoor time in school
history. Senior Sydnie Leroy matcher her personal
best in the pole vault (12-1 ½) en route to a second-place
finish.
For the men, senior Nico Weiler earned his first
victory of the season, winning the pole vault event after clearning
16-8 ¾. Junior Damani Wilson placed sixth
in the 60m at the Terrier Invitational with a time of 6.95.
Next event: Friday, Feb. 1, New Balance
Collegiate Invitational - The Armory (New York)
Penn
The Quakers competed in the Saturday Night at the Armory event in
New York, as the women placed fourth and the men took first.
The women placed fourth out of 12 teams with 97.5 points, trailing
only Princeton (188.5), Maryland (124) and UMES (106). The Quakers
went 2-3-4 in the pole vault, led by senior Davielle
Brown (12-5 ½). Sophomore Annie
Holland took third in the high jump with a leap of 5-5
¼, while freshman Elyssa Gensib was one of
three runners to break the 10-minute mark in the 3,000m, coming in
at 9:51.22 to place second. Eliana Yankelev took
third in the 60mH with a time of 9:09.
The men won their second-straight title after finishing first in
the Mountainhawk Invite on Jan. 19. The Quakers placed first in
four events en route to 164 points, well ahead of the second-place
team, Army (139). Freshman Kirk Webb earned his
first individual collegiate victory when he held off teammate
Matt Chylak in the 800m with a time of 1:56.18.
Sophomore Semi Ibikunle also won his first event
in a Penn uniform, taking the long jump title with a leap of 21-3
¼. Freshman Thomas Pitt won the high jump
for the second-straight meet, clearing 6-6 ¾, and senior
Tim Carey won the 500m with a time of 1:05.16. The
men’s team comes in at No. 88 in the nation in the latest
USTFCCCA rankings.
Next event: Saturday, Feb. 2, Sykes-Sabock
Challenge – University Park, Pa.
Princeton
The women competed in the NYRR College Night at the Armory II,
coming in first out of 12 teams with 188.5 points, handily
defeating second-place Maryland (124). The Tigers went 1-3-4-5-6 in
the 3,000m with senior Mel Newbery placing first
(9:47.41) and 1-2-3-4 in the mile with senior Alexis
Mikaelian in front (4:49.30). Sophomore Kim
Mackay won the 1,000m in 2:57.41 and junior
Kristin Smoot (2:11.59) and senior Melissa
Zajdel (2:11.70) went 1-2 in the 800m. The Tigers were
also impressive in the field, as junior Imani
Oliver and senior Tory Worthen posted
victories in the triple jump and pole vault, respectively. Worthen
held off Penn’s Davielle Brown in a
“jump off,” clearing 12-9 ½ to earn the win. The
women are ranked No. 98 in the latest USTFCCCA poll.
The men took part in the non-scoring Wesley A. Brown Invite hosted
by Navy in Annapolis, Md. Princeton dominated the field, winning
the 60m, 200m, 800m, mile, 3,000m, 5,000m and distance medley on
the track, and the high jump, triple jump, long jump and shot put
in the field. After their impressive performance, Princeton came in
at No. 71 in the latest USTFCCCA national rankings.
Next events: Wednesday-Thursday, Jan. 30-31,
Princeton Heptathlon – Princeton, N.J. (men only)/Friday,
Feb. 1, Armory Collegiate Invite – New York (women
only)/Saturday, Feb. 2, Sykes-Sabock Challenge – University
Park, Pa.
Yale
The Bulldogs competed in the Terrier Invitational. The women were
led by freshman Shannon McDonnell and junior
Emily Urciuoli, who each earned fifth-place
finishes in their respective events. McDonnell placed fifth out of
49 runners in the 500m, crossing the line in 1:14.58, and Urciuoli
took fifth in the pole vault after clearing 11-5 ¾.
The men proved to be successful in the field events, where junior
Paul Chandler set a personal-best in the pole
vault with a mark of 15-5, good enough for fourth-place, and senior
Mike Levine placed seventh in the weight throw
with a toss of 55-3. On the track, junior James
Shirvell finished just over a second behind the
first-place runner in the 800m, placing fifth with a time of
1:52.31. Senior Timothy Hillas won his 1,000m heat
with a time of 2:27.82, which held up for seventh overall.
Next event: Friday-Saturday, Feb. 1-2, Giegengack
Invitational – New Haven, Conn.
