The track and field teams competed in two meets this weekend, with some athletes attending the George Mason Spring Invitational and the majority of the teams heading to Durham for the Wildcat Invitational at the University of New Hampshire.
In Fairfax, Va., at the George Mason Invitational, six Big Green men competed against 21 other teams, many from the Atlantic 10 and the Ancient Eight, placing 14th overall. The women placed 11th out of a field of 20 from a variety of conferences, with just six runners competing.
Highlights at George Mason included an impressive performance by Megan Krumpoch ’14, who finished third in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:07.22 and third in the 400-meter hurdles in a time of 59.18. The senior was the second collegiate finisher in the hurdles.
As Krumpoch transitions from the indoor to outdoor season, women’s head coach Sandy Ford-Centonze said, she can improve in the 800-meter run.
“There are only two laps outdoor, so things happen a little bit quicker,” Ford-Centonze said. “Can’t really let little mistakes happen. It’s a learning curve, so I expect her to correct a few things going into the next meet.”
Other standout performances included Jennifer Meech ’16, who finished in ninth place in the 400-meter run with a time of 56.41 and 16th place in the 200-meter run with a time of 24.89. Elizabeth Markowitz ’16 finished eighth in the 1,500-meter run, crossing the line in 4:26.01.
On the men’s side, Edward Wagner ’16 led the team. The sophomore earned two personal bests, winning the 400-meter hurdles in 52.40 and the 200-meter run in 22.03. He finished 25th in the 200-meter column.
Three Dartmouth men competed in the 1,500-meter run. Steven Mangan ’14 led the Big Green with a sixth place finish in 3:46.46, followed by Silas Talbot ’15 in 11th in 3:48.25 and Tim Gorman ’16, two seconds back in 13th.
Chances to run regional qualifying times in early meets are important because conditions can vary later in the season, men’s head coach Barry Harwick said.
“Getting a fast time takes away some of the mental pressure,” Harwick said. “When you get to a championship meet, you don’t know how fast the times will be, even if you run great. It gives you confidence to have the time.”
The team sent a much larger contingent to the Wildcat Invitational at UNH.
Both teams turned in strong performances in Durham, as the men placed third overall with four first-place finishes, and the women ended competition in second, with nine trips to the top of the podium.
The women’s 800-meter run was the highlight of the weekend, with six Big Green runners placing in the top seven. Arianna Vailas ’14 won the race in 2:10.67, followed by Meghan Grela ’17 in third in 2:12.41. Helen Schlachtenhaufen ’17 finished two seconds back in fourth, with Jennifer Cunningham ’17, Abby Markowitz ’16 and Emily Grotz ’16 placing fifth through seventh.
Grela, who was racing for the first time since a injury from the indoor season, said she was nervous but that the other Dartmouth runners helped her with pacing and comfort.
“I was really nervous for the race in general,” Grela said. “When you haven’t raced in a while, your confidence isn’t that high, and you don’t know how you’re going to feel.”
The Dartmouth women went one-two-three in two races — the 1,500-meter and the 5,000-meter. Sarah DeLozier ’15 won the 1,500 in 4:38.27, while teammates Reid Watson ’16 and Sarah Bennett ’16 were not far behind. In the 5,000-meter race, Claudia Pham ’15 won by almost a minute with a time of 17:23.56. Ashley Ulrich ’15 and Erin McConnell ’17 rounded out the top three with times of 18:22.89 and 18:34.86, respectively.
Ulrich is a member of The Dartmouth senior staff.
The Big Green went one-two in the 400-meter dash, as Aliyah Gallup ’17 ran 58.36 and Maria Jarostchuk ’17 crossed the line in 1:00.99. Anna Kikut ’16 won the 200-meter dash in 25.13.
The Big Green men had numerous individual champions, as Corey Muggler ’17 won the long jump and Jeremy Birck ’15 won the high jump. Colin Quinn ’15 and Jacob Shippee ’16 finished first and second respectively in the javelin, and Dom Filiano ’14 and Tim Brennan ’17 finished first and second in the discus.
On the track, Alex Frye ’17 and Danny Katz ’16 placed second and third in the 110-meter hurdles, while John Abraham ’16 finished third in the 100-meter dash.
Ford-Centonze said that because of the protracted outdoor season, the athletes have a sense of urgency when they compete.
“Outdoor season is so short that every competition is important,” she said. “Everyone is really intent and determined with what we’re doing.”
Members of the track team will participate in five different meets between now and April 26. Next weekend some athletes will compete across the country at the Mt. SAC Relays, when others are at the Larry Ellis Invite in Princeton, N.J., or the Yale Invitational. The team heads to Philadelphia for the Penn Relays in two weeks.
