Members of the Big Green's track and field team showed their form over the weekend with strong performances at the Millrose Games, the Valentine Classic and on home turf at Leverone Field House.
Adam Nelson '97 made Dartmouth proud with a third place finish in the shot-put at the Millrose Games. He recorded a distance of 58-feet-and-a-quarter-inches at Manhattan College.
Track and field co-Captain Alex Ghanotakis '97 also competed at Millrose in the 35-pound weight throw.
"I was excited about how I finished and about finishing third place behind one Olympian and a National Champion from last year," Nelson said.
But Nelson said he was upset by this throw and by the administration of the Games.
"The fact that there were only five people competing and that there was no crowd support was really something of a disappointment for me," he said. "I was pleased to compete in something as prestigious as the Millrose Games but I was disappointed with the overall running of the meet."
Nelson said the Millrose Games was a great experience for him despite the poor treatment of the athletes.
"I think it was a lot of fun just to get down there," he said.
At the Valentine's Classic hosted by Boston University this weekend, Jenna Rogers '98 notched an NCAA provisional qualifying time in the 3,000 meter, clocking 9:29.82. Anne Devlin '99, meanwhile, qualified for the ECAC Championships with a 4:57.51 time in the mile.
The ECAC Championships will be hosted March 1 and 2 at Dartmouth.
At the Saturday dual meet, the men and women of the track team crushed the competition.
Women's co-Captain Pilar Rodriguez '97, mirrored her performance from last week as she took titles in the 55-meter dash, the triple jump and the long jump. Other women champs included Alisa Antkowiak '99 in the weight throw with 46 feet and five and a half inches, Sara Bauer '99 in the 3,000 meter with a 10:33.26 finish and Margie Van Orden '00 in the mile run with a 5:15.20 finish.
Men's co-Captain Eric Szegda '97 took the 55-meter with a 6:56 time and the 200-meter with 22:57. Greg Johnston '99 continued his winning streak with the 55-meter high hurdles while Rey Hubbard '99 took top honors in both the shot-put and the weight throw.
Co-Captain Lane Burks '97 said the other teams "weren't the greatest" but the meet overall went well.
"It was a tune-up meet," he said. "We are trying to get ready for the Heps now."
The Heptagonals, scheduled in two weeks at Harvard University, will be the ultimate test of this year's track and field team which is looking good, for the moment.
Szegda said Dartmouth will probably be one of the top three teams at the Heps -- which will feature all the track and field teams of the Ivy League and Navy.
The men's team hopes are dampened, however, by the injury of sprinters Robert Rogers '97 and Pete Sisitsky '97 during the Saturday meet.
