PRINCETON, N.J. -- While Street Sense may have come out of nowhere to win the Kentucky Derby this weekend, a certain common sense prevailed on the track at Princeton in the Heptagonal Championships from Saturday, May 5, to Sunday, May 6, in Princeton, N.J.
The ever level-headed Ben True '08 defended his title in the 1500 meters as expected on Sunday, but he didn't stop there. With his deft race sensibility, True stole first in the 5000m later that same afternoon.
Fellow junior Tyler Koskenoja '07 added to Dartmouth's accomplishments on the men's side at Heps, winning the decathlon to give the Big Green a victory in the event for the third time in four years.
Those triumphs couldn't put the Big Green men into the top tier of the competition, as the squad tied with Columbia for fifth place out of the eight Ivy League teams, with 63 points.
The Big Green women put together 43 points, leaving them in a stinging last place despite several notable performances in the field events.
The Princeton men had hoped to complete the triple crown of Heptagonal Championships by winning the outdoor Heps on their home turf, as the Tigers already captured the cross country and indoor titles.
But just as True defended his title, Cornell too held on to the Ivy crown. The Big Red men made it five years in a row, tallying 180 points in this year's competition, the third-highest point total ever at Heps. Similarly, Cornell's women extended their dynasty to six straight outdoor Heps titles.
On the track, True's time of 3:44.55 in the 1500m was about two seconds slower than his winning time last year.
"The time wasn't as fast as I'd like," he said. "The wind was a factor on the back stretch."
He added, "Things went pretty much as planned."
Harry Norton '08 led the race for the first lap, taking the pack through the first 400m in about 59 seconds. True took over from there.
True led by several strides from the second lap until the last turn, and then fended off the finishing kick from Liam Boylan-Pett of Columbia and James Wyner of Cornell, who finished second and third.
If anyone in the stands thought for a moment that True might be overtaken in the last 100m, they underestimated his race sense. Smooth and calm, True put the hammer down, legs churning down the straightaway to the finish.
"I felt fine," he said. "Yesterday [Saturday's trials] I came through [the third lap] in a 3:41 pace, which felt good," he said.
True ran a blistering first three laps, putting him on pace to go eclipse the Heps record, but he slowed down significantly in the last 100m to save his legs for the final.
While other racers were doubled over after the 1500m final, True jogged around the infield, hopping atop the podium to collect his medal and then headed off to prepare for his next race, the 5000m.
Just two and a half hours later, True returned to the track to face the second half of a tough one-two punch of distance races. This feat might brutalize most runners, but True was up to the task.
"I'll go into it not for time, but for place," he said before the 5000m. "I'll try to hang in there and counter anyone else's moves."
And that is exactly what he did. True stuck with the front pack throughout the race, rolling with the moves of the other racers until the next-to-last turn, when True pulled a move of his own.
Princeton's David Nightingale wasn't ready for True's sixth gear as True pulled away, finishing in 14:14.85, about three seconds ahead of Nightingale.
In the men's heptathalon, Koskenoja finished over 25 seconds ahead of his nearest competitor in the 1500m, the final event, catapulting him into first place. Tim Wunderlich '09 took fourth place, helping to continue Dartmouth's successful tradition in the decathlon.
The women's squad had a number of impressive performances, but the score totals were not enough to propel the Big Green to the top tier of the standings.
Jessica Long '08 had a strong showing, scoring in three throwing events. Long took second in the hammer throw, fifth in the javelin and sixth in the discus, securing much needed points towards the team score.
Lilly Bertz '07 was second in the pole vault with a personal best of 12 feet and five and one-half inches, meeting the NCAA regional qualifying height.
Jamila Smith '06 also snagged a second place finish for the Big Green, throwing 13.59m in the shot put. Karen Woolley '09 took third place in the heptathalon, with 4754 points.
