Mike Carmody '08 and Lydia Blandy '06 each set school records this weekend as the Dartmouth track and field team competed in Boston University's Valentine's Invitational against programs hailing from New England, Florida and Colorado.
Carmody broke his own record with an 800-meter run timed at 1:49.69 and finished fourth. It was the fastest run by an Ivy Leaguer this season.
Blandy set her school best in the 500 meters, where she finished third in 1:16.13. Women's head coach Sandra Ford-Centonze called it an "outstanding performance."
Natalie Todd-Zebel '09 took the top spot in the women's pole vault. In clearing 12-0, Todd-Zebell bettered her qualifying height for the ECAC Championship in March at Boston's Reggie Lewis Center.
Other ECAC qualifiers on the weekend were Blandy, Melanie Schorr '06 and Angela Broad '06. Schorr finished second in the 3,000 meters with a time of 9:34.69. Broad was clocked at 2:57.10 in the 1,000 meters, giving her fifth place.
Alec Wall '07 won the men's 3,000 meters. His time, 8:08.96, was also the fastest in the Ivy League this year.
"One of our other runners paced Alec through the first 1,000 [meters] to get the pace rolling," said men's head coach Barry Harwick. "Then he put on a great kick over the last 600 to put the race away."
Harry Norton '08 placed third in the mile. His run of 4:04.69 is the fourth fastest in the Big Green record books.
Ikechi Ogbonna '06 just missed setting a Dartmouth record in the trials for the 55-meter hurdles. His trial time of 7.40 was only a tenth of a second off the all-time mark. He slowed down to 7.55 in the finals and finished fifth.
The women's 4x400-meter relay also ran its fastest time of the season, 3:58.28.
Ford-Centonze, who also coaches men's and women's sprints and hurdles, said she was happy to see improvement from her sprinters.
"Overall, I am pleased to see that the athletes are getting faster going into the championship," she said.
"This was our second trip to the BU facility this winter, and we have had great results both times," Harwick added.
Dartmouth will not compete next weekend, looking to rest before hosting the Heptagonal Championship in two weeks at Leverone Field House.
