"To have 14 athletes, we're all very pumped up about that," head coach Barry Harwick said. "To qualify in your event is really something special. The Eastern Division includes pretty much everywhere east of the Mississippi, including some powerhouse schools. It's definitely something to be very proud of."
The top 48 athletes in each event are chosen to compete at Regionals, with the top 12 finishers from both the East and West Division at Regionals advancing to compete in the NCAA Championships in early June.
For the men's team, co-captain David Irving '11 will compete in the hammer while Dan Ostrovsky '10 and Chris Roe '11 will compete in the javelin. Tom Robbins '11 will race in the 1,500-meter run, Phil Royer '13 will compete in the steeplechase and Ethan Shaw '12 will race in the 10,000-meter run.
Shaw is currently ranked 11th regionally in the 10,000-meter event, placing him in a good position to qualify for the Championships.
"At this stage, it's really all about putting it together," men's team assistant coach and women's team head coach Sandy Ford-Centonze said "He has been running very well so we are very excited".
Harwick added that Shaw's competition schedule, which "has been a little lighter this year," will prove beneficial at Regionals, where many athletes are fatigued after a long racing season. Many competitors will have raced for three consecutive seasons without a significant break from action.
"The fact that many of these [Dartmouth] athletes have already competed before at Regionals will definitely be helpful to them in competition," he said.
Irving has had an impressive season so far, placing third in the shot put and discus and second in the hammer at the 2011 Outdoor Ivy League Heptagonal Championships earlier this month.
"Dave has always worked incredibly hard," thrower Fernando Rodriguez-Villa '11 said. "He's been a great leader, captain and friend, and I wish him the best at Regionals."
Eight women qualified for the women's team: Abbey D'Agostino '14 in the 5,000-meter run, Caitie Meyer '14 in the 10,000-meter run, Alexi Pappas '12 in the steeplechase, Malina Simmers '11 in the triple jump, Chrissy Supino '12 in the 800-meter run, Alex Tanner '11 in the 400-meter hurdles, Arianna Vailas '14 in the 1500-meter run and Jaclyn Wypler '11 in the javelin.
"We're very proud of all of them, both the men and women," Ford-Centonze said. "Fourteen is one of the largest groups we've had in a while."
The men's track and field team also competed this past Saturday at the Twilight Meet, which features a number of professional runners. Steve Mangan '11 led Big Green athletes with a second-place finish in the 1,500-meter run. Mangan is also a member of the Nordic ski team, which meant he could not significantly train with the track team until after its spring break trip.
"There is actually a lot of crossover in terms of cardiovascular fitness between running and skiing, so that is helpful," Harwick said. "It always takes a while for the legs to get used to running again, however. But we're talking about very talented people here, who can usually make the adjustment pretty quickly."
