Dartmouth's men's and women's track teams traveled to Boston University this weekend to participate in the Terrier Classic, and the Big Green had several outstanding performances on the weekend. Held on the banked BU track, the meet attracts some of the top talent in the Northeast.
Coming off of big wins against Yale University and Columbia University the previous weekend, both teams felt strong and prepared for the event.
"We felt really good," women's co-captain Alexi Pappas '12 said. "We were excited for Terrier because there's competition from all around, so we were excited to be pulled along by some good competition."
Abbey D'Agostino '14 used a strong last 400 meters to defeat a stellar field in the women's mile, placing first with a time of 4:37.41, breaking her own school record set last weekend by over a second. D'Agostino was not the only Big Green miler to run well, however, as co-captain Chrissy Supino '12 placed sixth overall in 4:47.60. Arianna Vailas '14, runner-up at last year's Ivy League Championships in the mile, finished 12th overall in 4:53.55.
Pappas broke another Dartmouth record in the 3,000-meter run, posting a 9:14.75 to eclipse the mark of three-time All-American Maribel Sanchez '96. Pappas' time placed her fourth overall at the meet and ranks ninth overall in the NCAA this season, putting her in good position to secure a bid to the NCAA Championships in March.
Lizzie Short '12 accompanied Pappas in the 3,000 meters, finishing 27th overall with a time of 10:02.84. Ashley Ulrich '15 and Claudia Pham '15 finished 31st and 39th, respectively, for the Big Green.
Kate Sullivan '13, Bridget End '14 and Caitie Meyer '14 all ran the 5,000-meter run, with Sullivan notching the best finish of the Dartmouth runners, placing 14th overall in 17:02.74. End and Meyer were close behind in 17th and 18th, respectively.
The Big Green had top-10 finishers in the 400 meters, 500 meters, 800 meters and 1,000 meters. Particularly impressive were Meggie Donovan '15 in the 800-meter run (2:13.93) and Megan Krumpoch '14 in the 400-meter dash (56.95).
Pappas spoke highly of the team's performance, particularly in the distance events.
"For distance, we're posting the top times in the league for each event," she said. "Every individual is excelling. It's not just the girls who are the best at their events that are doing well."
Out in the field, Emmaline Berg '13 claimed first in the shot put with a toss of 46'9", out-throwing the second place finisher by almost five inches. Corinne Romano '15 and Christina Alexander '11 also threw for Dartmouth, placing 12th and 13th, respectively.
Berkeley Hall '14 took the top spot for Dartmouth in the long jump, finishing fifth overall with a jump of 16'7.75". Lauren Ready '15 was close behind in 11th at 16'2.25".
Marina Plesons '15 and Karla Verkouw '13 represented Dartmouth in the pole vault, finishing seventh and tenth, respectively.
Alexandra Nee '12 placed 14th overall in the high jump, while Erica Hendershot '15 finished 15th in the triple jump.
Reflecting on Friday, Pappas said that the one thing that impressed her most was her teammates' strong performances against students who are on track scholarships.
"The most empowering thing was seeing Ivy League girls who aren't getting paid to run perform up there with athletes who are at scholarship schools," she said.
On Saturday, it was the men's turn, and while there were no record-setting performances, several Big Green athletes posted impressive marks.
Luke Decker '15 led the Big Green in the 1,000-meter run, finishing in 2:29.69 for fifth place overall. Rex Woodbury '15 placed 24th in the same event at 2:35.72.
Co-captain Connor Reilly '13 qualified for the 60-meter dash final, placing sixth overall with a time of 6.97 seconds.
In two particularly competitive events, the men saw solid finishes John Bleday '14 took sixth in the mile with 4:04.02, while co-captain Ethan Shaw '12 finished 18th in the 3,000 meters with a time of 8:15.55. Bleday's time ranks fifth all-time in Dartmouth's history.
Adam Doherty '13 finished the 5,000 meters in 14:21.72 to secure a top-ten finish. Jonathan Gault '13 wasn't far behind, taking 12th in 14:27.09.
In one of the most exciting events for the men, Sam Yoder '15 secured second place in the high jump, clearing 6'6.75" on his final attempt. Jeremy Birck '15 was right behind him in third, also clearing 6'6.75".
Dom Filiano '14 placed seventh in the shot put with a heave of 51'10". Filiano also competed in the weight throw, finishing 19th.
Josh Cyphers '14 and Brett Gilson '13 both cleared 14'5.25" to tie for seventh in the pole vault.
Pappas said Dartmouth established itself as one of the top teams in the region at the Terrier Classic.
"We had a clear presence as a team as Dartmouth," she said. "It's clear that our team is doing well and is very deep."
Pappas added that maintaining team energy and continuing to perform well in practices will be key for success in future meets.
"The whole team is feeding off of everyone's good performances, and good workouts are translating into good races," Pappas said. "I think the main thing for us is just staying healthy and continuing this momentum."
Dartmouth returns to action on Saturday with the team's final home meet of the season the Dartmouth Indoor Classic. Events begin at 11 a.m. at Leverone Field House.
Sullivan, Ulrich and Buck are members of The Dartmouth Staff. Gault is a member of The Dartmouth Senior Staff.
