"This meet was a great chance to get comfortable competing at their track," Natalie Todd-Zebell '09 said after taking second place in the pole vault. "We won't see many of the Ivys before Heps."
Lilly Bertz '07 took first in the pole vault, just ahead of Todd-Zebell. Dartmouth's only other first place finisher was Charlie Stoebe '08, who won the 400-meter race in 49.5 seconds.
The meet was scored on an individual basis, and many teams didn't race their top runners. For example, Dartmouth's distance squad was absent on Saturday, leaving the door open for Columbia, who dominated the middle and distance races.
Several of Dartmouth's distance runners competed on Friday evening in elite races. Princeton's David Nightingale won the men's elite 1500m in a blistering 3:47. Harry Norton '08 wasn't far behind however, with a time of 3:52, good enough for fifth place. In the women's elite 1500m, Catilin Cunningham '09 finished 11th.
On Saturday, Dartmouth impressed evenly across the disciplines, from the track to the field and throwing events. Pete Pidermann '10 took second place in the men's 110m hurdles and 11th in the 400m hurdles. Natalie Stoll '10 took second in both the 200m and 400m races, and also ran a leg on the women's 4 x 400m relay, which won without any other Ivy contenders.
"Across the board, there were some good performances," Stoll said. "The cold and the wind were problems though."
Despite the weather, the Big Green throwers had several top-notch finishes. Jamila Smith '06 took second in the hammer throw and third in the shot put. Robert Kerris '07 grabbed second place in the discus.
The jumpers also found success. Cassandre Tanner '08 took second in the long jump, just a tenth of a meter out of first. Randall McKnight '08 and Ted Lesher '10 both tied for fourth place in the triple jump. In the pole vault, Bertz and Todd-Zebell stuck together in first and second place, respectively, despite a change of venue.
"The pole vaulters had to compete inside because it was too cold and windy to vault outdoors," Bertz said.
Despite the change of plans, freshman Ken DiCairano '10 still set a new personal record, clearing a height of 14 feet seven inches.
While the season has only recently begun, there is less than a month until Heptagonal Championships and the pressure is already on. With so little time, this weekend's meet is one of just a few opportunities Dartmouth will have to compete against Ivy competition before the championship event.
"It gives us a chance to see where we stand in the league," Bertz said. "Plus, Heps is at Princeton this year so it was good to get a feel for their track."
The Big Green track team next heads to Northeastern University in Boston for an invitational meet on Saturday, April 14.
