Cornell, which pulled off the sweep last year as both the Big Red men and women captured their respective titles, is favored to repeat this year. Princeton and Penn should both represent strong competition for first place on the men's side, but Cornell's women seem poised to continue their run of four consecutive Ivy League titles.
While Dartmouth is not favored to win it all on either the men's or women's side, the Big Green has the potential to, at the very least, be in the mix; and both teams have a number of standout athletes who should finish well individually.
"For the last couple years, Cornell has dominated the team score," said men's head coach Barry Harwick '77. "This year will be a lot closer involving a lot of schools. I wouldn't describe Dartmouth as a favorite, but we'll do well."
The Big Green has been working all season in anticipation of strong performances at the Heptagonal Championships, foregoing a meet last weekend in order to spend the last two weeks working hard while slowly decreasing the total amount of work to ensure ample recovery so that Dartmouth's athletes are in peak condition come this weekend.
"We have been tapering during the last couple of weeks, dropping the total number of meters and dropping the times to go faster," said women's head coach Sandra Ford-Centonze. "This year, we find ourselves a little down in some areas, and actually won't have entries in a few. With the women that are competing, I think that we have put together a competitive squad and know that they will compete to the top of their abilities."
The women's team will be looking to its field events as a source of strength, as the Lady Green has explosive athletes in a number of events. Tara McNerney '09 and Kelsey Wiegmann '06 are currently tied for third in the Ivies for the high jump, and are likely to finish in the top six and score points for Dartmouth's team total. Natalie Todd-Zebell '09 also owns the third-best height in the pole vault.
Jamila Smith '06 promises to threaten in two events, recording the second-best shotput and weight throw tosses in the ivies. Smith could potentially take first in the shotput on Sunday. Wiegmann is similarly poised to challenge for the pentathalon title, having won the event the previous three years.
The women will be counting on Melanie Schorr '06 in the 3000-meter and 5000-meter and Lydia Blandy '06 in the 500-meter to score for the team.
"All events will be important for the Dartmouth women," said Ford-Centonze. "Every point and place is important and the girls know that. We look forward to a very competitive meet with one of the top conferences in the country."
The Big Green men likewise have several athletes that should make an impact this weekend. Ikechi Ogbonna '06 has the third-best 60-meter hurdle time in the Ivy League this season, and he and Fatih Stanley '07 are both capable of scoring in the 60-meter dash.
The men are similarly capable at the distance events. Mike Carmody '08 has the second-best Ivy times for both the 500-meter and 800-meter runs, Harry Norton '08 is likely to challenge for the Ivy Title in the mile, Steve Mucchetti should finish well in the 3000, and Alec Wall '08 and Dave Burnham '06 should impress in the 5000, as both hold the top two times in the Ivies.
In the field events, Rob Kerris '06 is one to watch in the shotput, while Dartmouth is looking to Tim Wunderlich '09 to execute in the Heptathlon.
The Big Green should benefit from a home-field advantage, competing where it has been training all season -- Leverone Field House. But the advantage will be incomplete without heavy support from the rest of Dartmouth as its athletes compete.
The meet will be long in duration, with events on Saturday running from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Sunday going from 10:30 a.m. until 3:50 p.m., but students are encouraged to come out and watch individual events, especially on Sunday when the majority of the finals are held.
"The grounds crew is doing a great job getting ready, teams all show up on Friday," said Harwick. "When it's all said and done, [Heps] will turn into a very exciting competition. I would definitely encourage students to come by and watch."
A full schedule of events is online at www.ivyleaguesports.com.
