The track and field teams of Columbia and Yale voyaged to the New England hinterlands this weekend to face the Big Green. Though the men faced a setback and were put down by the Bulldogs, the women shined to take first place.
With an overall score of 63, the Dartmouth women triumphed over the Bulldogs' 60.5 and Golden Lions' 57.2 points, competing in Leverone Field House on Saturday.
The mood of the arena was electric, translating into some truly outstanding performances. Mattie Chatterton-Richmond '06 pointed out, "Our team chemistry, which is really important in team competitions, is the strongest that I have seen it since I've been here."
That chemistry contributed to a victory by Chatterton-Richmond in the long and triple jumps with leaps of 18-0 and 37-1, respectively. At the same time, there was an impressive Big Green sweep in the women's high jump. Kelsey Wiegmann '06 leaped to a height of 5-6, while Tessa Clare '05 and Beth Chambers '05 grabbed second and third.
"All three of us had season-bests," said Clare. "The high jumpers all competed really well."
Also for Dartmouth, Victoria Michelotti '08 won the 60-meter hurdles in 9.11, and Melissa Machaj '06 was first in the 20-pound weight at 45-9.
The Big Green men had a bit rougher time, but still ended up second in the tri-meet with 67 points. Yale had 81, and Columbia garnered 33 points.
The most impressive performances of the day came from the men's team throwers, as they swept the shot put. "A lot of good things happened at the meet," said head coach Barry Harwick, "and there were many personal bests in the weight throw." Mike Mozer '05 took first in the weight throw and third in the shot put, and Matt Brown '05 won the shot put with a throw of 15.72 meters.
Also in the field, Andrew Hall '05 won the long jump with a leap of 21-5 1/2. Brian McCarthy '05, the captain of the team, deviated from his usual winning ways and took second and third in the high and triple jumps, respectively.
For the distance squad, sophomore Mike Carmody won the 800 meter with an impressive time of 1:53.27. Ian Marcus '08 took the 3,000 with a time of 8:37.37 with Ross Tucker '05 placing second in 8:45.39.
Overall it was a successful weekend for Dartmouth's track and field athletes, as they demonstrated talent in various events. They hope to run, jump, and throw to new levels at the Boston University Invitational next weekend, described by Coach Harwick as "one of the biggest meets on the east coast this season."
