The Middlebury track and field teams finished up their last weekend of non-championship competition at the University of Albany Spring Classic on Saturday, April 19, competing in a field of mostly Division-I schools in a non-scoring meet that also featured elite international competitors.
On the women’s side, Alison Maxwell ’15 continued her season’s success with a second place showing in the 800 meters, crossing the line in time of 2:16.09.
“I was really surprised and excited with my 800, which is the first one I have run all year,” Maxwell said. “My time is one I’ve been hoping to run for a while, and it felt really good to finally make it happen. Mostly, though, it felt great to get some speed in my legs, which should benefit me in the coming weeks.”
Other Panther women with high finishes on the day included Paige Fernandez ’17 in the 400 meter hurdles, where she took sixth place in a time of 1:06.87. Emily Singer ’14 also posted a sixth-place finish with a time of 18:45.69 in the 5,000 meters, while teammate Katie Rominger ’14 took fourth in the 1,500 in 4:49.00. In the field, Hannah Blackburn ’17 posted a mark of 16’11.5” in the long jump, good for fifth place in the event. Carly Andersen ’16 took third in the javelin with a toss of 121’11”.
“The whole team is really excited for NESCACs of course,” Maxwell said. “After getting second last year, the girl’s team is hungry for the win, and we have a definite chance of getting it. I can’t wait to see how it plays out.”
On the men’s side, the Panther squad managed to post a number of top finishes. Bryan Holtzman ’14 edged up the Panther’s all-time list with his 10.79 performance in the 100 meters, the third fastest time in school history. Jake Wood ’15 continued his collection of high finishes in the 400-meter hurdles when he took fifth in the event with a time of 56.57. Sam Cartwright ’16 and Sam Craft ’14 also took fifth place in their respective events, with Cartwright posting a time of 4:02.20 in the 1,500 and Craft crossing the line in 1:58.47 in the 800. In the 110-meter hurdles, Kevin Chu ’14 took second place in a time of 14.75, while teammate Taylor Shortsleeve ’15 finished behind him in third with a time of 15.40.
“The 110 hurdle race went well,” Chu said. “It was the first time all year that I have felt a good rhythm in the hurdles, just in time for the NESCAC championship. My time ranks me eleventh right now in Division-III. The goal is to stay in the top twenty to earn a trip to the NCAA championships next month. I made it there last year qualifying seventeenth overall, and I’d like to improve on that. The race over the weekend is nothing more than a step in the right direction, and there is still a lot of work left.”
“[Albany] as a whole went well for the team,” Chu said of the meet. “Many of our athletes did not compete in their primary event. We used the meet as a tune-up for the conference championship. The most important thing is we came through the meet healthy. NESCACs is the big meet for us every year because the focus is on overall team performance rather than individual accolades. Check back with us next week and there will be plenty of stories of my teammates rising to the occasion and performing well beyond expectations. It happens every year. This is the strongest team I have been a part in my four years here. I’m confident that my teammates will back up my words.”
Head Coach Martin Beatty was encouraged by the weekend’s results as the team heads into the NESCAC Championships on Saturday.
“I am excited not just from this weekend, but overall,” Beatty said. “It was nice that we had sunny weather to work with, but it was another windy day so that took away from most people’s performances. But having that wind makes us tougher, and it’s good to get through it. NESCACs is our big build-up for the season, and I’m rearing and ready to get to Colby and compete.”
While the rest of the team was in Albany, two Panther individuals traveled to Princeton to run in the Larry Ellis Invitational on April 18th and 19th. Sam Klockenkemper ’17 took 67th in the 1,500 meters with a time of 4:00.52, while Kevin Wood ’15 took 34th in the 5,000 in a competitive 14:37.15.
“The race at Princeton is a unique opportunity to run at a very competitive level and put up a fast time before championship season,” Wood said. “Few races have such a deep, talented pool of runners, which can make a huge difference in distance running. The race was pretty fun. It was a crowded heat with 30 entries, but everyone was fast, so traffic wasn’t bad. I got to the rail early on and chilled in the back of the pack drafting. My plan was just to hang on as long as I could to a pack going 69 or 70 [seconds] per lap. It worked out pretty well.”
The Panthers will return to action at the NESCAC Championships on Saturday, April 26 at Colby.
Track Team Holds its Own in UAlbany Spring Classic
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