Natalie Todd-Zebell '09 sprung 3.91 meters in the pole vault to secure a ninth-place finish in the event. The height was just shy of her personal record, and almost granted her entry to nationals. Four women tied for first in the pole vault, all of whom jumped 4.01 meters.
Chris Zablocki '10 said neither he nor his teammates had any particularly notable finishes, but that the athletes were content to be competing at regionals.
"Some of [us] were a little disappointed with [our] outcomes, everyone was glad to qualify for the meet," he said.
Emily Daly '09 agreed that the team did not do as well as it had hoped to, but said that such a result was to be expected when facing a high level of competition.
"It's one of those meets where it really is hard to go and have an unbelievable performance, because there's so much pressure and schools we're not used to competing against," she said. "I think everyone did really well, given the circumstances."
Daly earned two points for Dartmouth on Friday in the hammer throw, as her toss of 54.47 meters won her seventh place. Despite her success, however, Daly said she does not believe that she performed to her full potential.
"It was just sort of a new situation for me," she said. "Physically, I felt like I was capable of doing well, but mentally, I think I got a little more nervous than I realized ... which made it hard to throw."
Virginia Tech sophomore Dorotea Habazin took the top spot in the hammer throw with a toss of 63.37 meters.
Tim Wunderlich '09 competed in the javelin event, and his 58.54 meter toss earned him a 20th-place finish in the event. The winner of the event was Georgia junior Chris Hill, whose javelin flew 80.34 meters.
Alex Tanner '11 raced in the preliminaries of the 400-meter hurdles, but could not clinch a qualifying spot for the finals. She finished in 1:00.87, landing her in 22nd place. Tameka Jameson of the University of Miami (Florida) won the event in 56.65 seconds.
Tom Robbins '11 competed in the 1500-meter run, but wa unable to qualify for the finals. Robbins completed his race in 3:53.37, and ended up in 24th place. A freshman from Providence College, David McCarthy, won the 1500-meter with a time of 3:41.37.
Daly and Zablocki were the only two Dartmouth athletes to compete on Saturday, the second day of competition.
Daly, who was the only Dartmouth athlete to qualify for regionals in more than one event, also competed in the shot put. She placed 16th with a throw of 14.44 meters. Maryland junior Ashley Williams threw 14.64 meters to earn first place.
Zablocki competed in the 3000-meter steeplechase event. In one of his heats, he took fifth place with a time of 9:21.76. This finish, combined with his other heat, won him 19th place overall.
Zablocki said he wasn't thrilled with his results, though he was glad to participate in the competition.
"It wasn't quite as fast as I was hoping, but I did manage to beat some of the competition from other schools," he said. "I think the big accomplishment was making it to the meet."
Zablocki said that the competitive atmosphere at regionals was energetic and intense.
"It was pretty ridiculous," he said. "It was all of the fastest people in every event from Maine to Florida."
Daly said that the competition is filled with athletes striving to advance to nationals, which creates a lot of pressure.
"Everyone's more tense, so athletes often will not come through with what they've done in the past," she said. "This creates a lot of opportunities, which can sometimes create even more pressure."
