While the majority of Dartmouth track and field concluded its season at the Heptagonals 10 days ago, those few Big Green athletes whose achievements stood out even at the highest level of regional competition were rewarded with a trip to New Haven and a chance to contend at the IC4A Championships.
Ahmad Abdur-Rahim '04 set the standard for his Big Green teammates, running the 400 hurdles in 51.88 and taking second in the event. Not only did his run qualify him for the NCAA Regionals, Abdur-Rahim's performance placed him ahead of Jeff Guenette '03 as the second fastest quarter-mile hurdler in Dartmouth history.
Consisting of Ikechi Ogbonna '06, Ahmad and his twin brother Mustafa Abdur-Rahim, and Fatih Stanley '07, the Big Green 4 x 100 relay team also carved out a spot in the Dartmouth record books. Though not good enough to reach the final race, the team's time of 41.32 ranks second all-time at the College. Andrew Hall '05 looked good as well, totaling 7,026 points in the decathlon and taking fourth out of 17 competitors. Dartmouth's other multi-event superstar, Kelsey Wiegmann '06, earned 4,839 points and a fourth place finish in the decathlon. Less than 500 points separated Wiegmann from the eventual winner, Tamara McGill from Pittsburgh.
The spring season is reaching the home stretch. Next week the Big Green distance runners will race at a twilight meet at Bentley College. The following Friday, Ahmad Abdur-Rahim and the seven other Dartmouth athletes who qualified will head down to the University of Florida hoping for a shot at an NCAA Championship.
