Matt Miner '12 led the way for several distance runners from the Dartmouth track and field teams on Saturday in the New Balance Boston Twilight Meet held at Bentley University in Boston, Mass. Mine dropped over three seconds from his previous personal best in the 800-meter, finishing in eighth place with a time of 1:51.76.
Although he was in last place after the first 400 meters, Miner managed to come from behind and pull off a top-10 finish in the most competitive race of the day.
"It went out at sub-world record pace through 200 meters, so even though I was in last place, I knew a lot of people would come back to me," Miner said. "Between 400 meters and 600 meters, a lot of people started falling off the back of the pack. I just swung wide and let them slow down, and with 200 meters to go just tried to make sure that I passed some more people and no one passed me back."
Although it served as a season-closing meet for many competitors, John Schroeder '10 posted a solid performance in the 1,500-meter race to extend his Dartmouth racing career for at least one more weekend. Schroeder, who clocked in at 3:51:69, qualified for the NCAA Regional. While he normally runs longer distance events, Schroeder ran the shorter race well and finished with a personal best by more than four seconds.
"I don't run the 1,500 very often, so my personal best was very far off from what I was capable of," Schroeder said. "I wanted to drop down, and I was able to drop my personal best by four seconds."
Phil Royer '13 also performed well in the 1,500 for the Big Green, finishing on Schroeder's heels for seventh place with a time of 3:52.09. Normally a steeplechase specialist, Royer switched events in his final race to "tune up" before he competes at the NCAA Regional in the steeplechase.
"[Royer] is a great competitor," Schroeder said. "He's probably the most talented person on our team. But, he is a freshman, so it was very important to me not to lose to him [in the race]."
Mike Danaher '13 and Dylan Summers '12 also ran in the 1,500 and finished 20th and 25th respectively.
Jon Gault '13 placed second in the 5,000-meters, finishing in 14:58.95 despite a diverse field.
Gault is a member of The Dartmouth Staff.
"People in the 5,000-meters didn't have as much of an ideal race situation," Schroeder said. "It was a wide range of ability and not as many people to pace off of. Two guys went out way faster than [Gault], but he was in front of the chase pack and managed to finish strong."
Nina Brekelmans '12, the only Big Green competitor in the women's races, finished third in the 5,000-meter run, clocking in at 18:35.76.
While it is scheduled late in the season, the Twilight meet managed to attract a competitive field. The winner of each race received $1,500, with the second and third place finishers also earning a smaller amount.
"The money really attracted a lot of good talent," Schroeder said.
For the athletes who are not competing in the upcoming NCAA Regional, the Twilight meet marked the last race of the season.
"It was an awesome way to wrap up," Schroeder said. "The races were set up well, so it was a really good opportunity for everyone."
In addition to Schroeder in the 1,500-meter race and Royer in the steeplechase, several other Dartmouth athletes will be competing at the NCAA East Regional Championships after qualifying in meets during the season. On the men's side, Alex Lippai '09 will compete in the hammer throw and Dave Irving '11 will compete in the discus toss. Captain Ted Lesher '10 will compete in both the long jump and triple jump, while Chris Zablocki '10 and Ethan Shaw '12 will run in the 10,000-meter event.
Alex Tanner '11 and Chrissy Supino '12 will represent the Big Green women at the Regional. Tanner will run in the 400 -meter hurdles while Supino will run in the 800-meter race.
The NCAA Regional will begin on May 27 in Greensboro, N.C.
