The track and field teams split up this weekend, heading to California for the Mt. SAC Relays and invitationals at Yale University and Princeton University.
The competition at Mt. SAC is one of the premier track meets in the country, featuring the best collegiate and pro athletes in the sport. Abbey D’Agostino ’14 and Dana Giordano ’16 competed in the run invitational elite 5,000-meter run and John Bleday ’14 ran in the Olympic development elite section of the 5,000-meter. D’Agostino was third overall, but the top collegiate finisher, with a time of 15:30.93. Giordano ran a lifetime best to finish in 14th place with a time of 15:53.96. Bleday finished in 16th place in 14:04.71.
“It is a different vibe when you are with people who share the same experiences as you,” D’Agostino said, noting that the three “made it a vacation,” enjoying themselves and running on the beach.
Since this year is not a championship year on the world stage, D’Agostino went into the race just looking to compete, not aiming for a qualifying time. D’Agostino said the race started off slower than expected, and she was on the outside when someone picked up the pace.
“I’ve been stuck on the outside before, so I was frustrated,” D’Agostino said. “But I just wanted to compete, and I was in a place where I felt like I could respond if anything happened.”
D’Agostino, Giordano and Bleday all ran times that should be fast enough to qualify for NCAA regionals, coach Barry Harwick said.
Other Dartmouth track runners competed closer to home at Yale and Princeton.
The Larry Ellis Invite at Princeton featured more of Dartmouth’s distance runners .
The Big Green was led by strong performances in the 5,000-meter run by Reid Watson ’16 who finished in ninth with a time of 16:31.68 and Henry Sterling ’14 whose time of 14:15.27 was good enough for 11th. Both times were personal bests, Harwick said.
In the 3,000-meter steeplechase, Sarah DeLozier ’15 finished in sixth place with a time of 10:16.38, and Anthony Anzivino ’16 finished in 25th place with a time of 9:09.84.
Since steeplechase is not an event that can be competed, or fully practiced, indoors, athletes are becoming acclimated to it. The second time the Big Green competed in the event this season, Harwick said the team saw many improvements — athletes had more practice with the hurdles and water jump, in addition to being in better shape overall.
Most athletes competed at Yale, where the performances in the sprints were the highlight of the day. The meet at Yale provided the team with the chance to compete against Ivy League opponents and prepare for the Heptagonal Championships, coach Sandy Ford-Centonze said.
On the men’s side John Abraham ’16 won the 100-meter dash in 10.80 and the 4x100 meter relay with Danny Katz ’16, Brett Buskey ’15, and Edward Wagner ’16. The team finished in 42.17, over a second and a half ahead of the second-place team from Central Connecticut State University.
The team took first and second place in the javelin. Jim Budzinski ’14 won the event with a throw of 60.54 meters followed by Jacob Shippee ’16 in second with a throw of 58.53 meters.
Kaitlin Whitehorn ’16 performed well for the women, claiming second in the 100-meter dash in a time of 11.86 seconds and winning the high jump by clearing 1.75 meters, her personal best in the event.
Jenn Meech ’16 also won the 200-meter dash in 24.13 and the 400-meter in 57.01. Lauren Ready ’15 set a new school record in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.42, breaking last year’s record by teammate Janae Dunchack ’14.
Sprinters were helped by the windy conditions, whereas distance runners had to compensate for the headwind, Harwick said.
According to Ford-Centonze, Ready and the other hurdlers have benefited from recent warmer temperatures which have allowed them to practice with more hurdles than they would inside.
The track team continues its hectic schedule, divided again next weekend. Some athletes will compete at the renowned Penn Relays, while others will be at the University of New Hampshire.
