Eight team members hoped to use their participation in the Mt. SAC Relays on Thursday and Friday to qualify for the regional championship. They were aided by favorable weather, as there was little wind and high temperatures.
The team experienced mixed results as several members qualified for regionals, while others suffered injuries.
"It was an overall success, but we definitely had a mixed bag in terms of performances, as there were a lot of conditions that didn't go how we would have liked," Abbey D'Agostino '14 said.
D'Agostino placed first in the 5,000-meter and set a new Dartmouth record with a 15:11.35, eclipsing her previous record of 15:19.98 at the U.S. Olympic Trials last June by more than eight seconds. The second-place runner, Lucy van Dalen of New Zealand, was not even close as she trailed D'Agostino by 10 seconds.
D'Agostino offered nothing but praise for the performances of her teammates as many of them qualified for regionals or ran personal bests. Megan Krumpoch '14 won her heat in the 400-meter hurdles and claimed ninth place overall. Connor Reilly '13 placed 14th overall in the 100-meter sprint with a wind-legal time of 10.59, the third fastest time in program history.
Jonathan Gault '13 qualified for regionals in the 10K, while Will Geoghegan '14 and John Bleday '14 competed in the 5,000-meter with a 13:55.92 and 14:13.01, placing 15th and 19th, respectively.
Seventy teams, primarily from the East Coast, along with more than 25 track and field clubs, competed at the Larry Ellis Invitational at Princeton on Friday and Saturday. The weather was not as idyllic as in California, with temperatures hovering in the mid-50s.
Kate Sullivan '13 won her heat in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a 10:38.01, and Sarah DeLozier '15 placed third in the same heat with 10:45.78. Sullivan claimed sixth place overall and DeLozier claimed ninth. Emmaline Berg '13 placed fourth in the shot put and third in the discus throw, throwing 13.95 and 45.64 meters respectively.
On the men's side, Silas Talbot '15 won his heat in the 1500-meter, claiming fifth with a time of 3:47.35, while Luke Decker '15 placed second in his heat in the 1500-meter. Henry Sterling '14 placed seventh in his heat in the 3000-meter steeplechase with 9:04.70, Phil Royer '13 took fourth in the 5000-meter with 14:09.94 and the men's 4x400m relay team placed seventh with a time of 3:19.47.
On the field side, Thomas Servino '15 placed fifth in the hammer throw, with his sixth and final attempt measured at 58.71 meters.
With Ivy Championships in two weeks, the non-scoring Larry Ellis Invitational was valuable training.
Athletes who normally compete in the 10K also ran in the 5000-meter to practice their speed and become acquainted with the track, as the Ivy Championships will be held at Princeton.
"The meet was a really good way to prepare for the Ivy League championships against some great competition," Joshua Cyphers '14 said. "A lot of people really stepped up and several set personal records."
Cyphers competed in the pole vault and accomplished jumps of 14'9 feet and 15'3 feet, placing fifth overall.
Dartmouth records were shattered at the meet. Janae Dunchack '14 broke the 100-meter hurdles record with a 14.51 seconds, placing sixth overall, and Sara Kikut '16 broke the 200-meter dash record with 24.51, placing fifth overall.
"We're really coming together as a team," said Corinne Romano '15, who throws shot put. "People are starting to support each other a lot as runners are starting to attend throwing events like shot put and discus throw to support their teammates and throwers are cheering on runners during sprint or distance events. We've got big hopes for the Penn Relays this weekend."
The men and women's track and field teams are scheduled to compete next week at the Penn Relays, hosted by the University of Pennsylvania, and the UMass Invitational at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
The Penn Relays will be held from Thursday to Saturday and the UMass Invitational will start on Saturday at 11:00 a.m.
Gault is a member of The Dartmouth senior staff.
