Track and Field Finds Its Legs in San Diego

Author: Erich Kahner

The Middlebury track and field team traveled to San Diego, California for its annual West Coast swing. On Saturday, March 22, the team took part in the Aztec Track and Field Classic at San Diego State University.
With the Dragone Track in Middlebury buried under snow for most of the winter, the Aztec Classic was the team's first significant experience on an outdoor track this season, and the athletes responded well. The Panthers placed eighth or higher in five events amongst NCAA Division I, II and III competition.
Sarah Berkowitz '05 and Khristoph Becker '06 headlined those finishers. Both athletes qualified for the NCAA Division III National Championships set to take place at St. Lawrence University in late May with their efforts. Berkowitz's leap of 11'1" in the pole vault won her eighth place and a spot at nationals, and Becker's javelin throw of 188'9" gave him seventh and a trip to St. Lawrence. Also going to nationals is Maryanne Porter '04. Porter ran a 1:04.6 in the 400 meter hurdles, good enough for 14th place.
Jenny March '04 had the highest place for Middlebury on the day. March placed third in the hammer throw with a heave of 140'7".
The men's sprinters had a great day. Kevin Bright '06 ran to fourth in the 400 hurdles and missed qualifying for nationals by .4 seconds. The men's "A" and "B" 4x100 meter relay teams placed fifth and sixth respectively and were only separated by .63 seconds (43.52 to 44.15).
Such a close, high-caliber finish indicates the depth of the Middlebury sprint squad and also shows where the core of the track team lies. Members of the "A" team were veterans Mike DeLeo '03.5, Liam Aiello '05, Michael Pittman '04 and recent returnee from the injured list, resilient junior Tony Garofano. Members of the "B" team were rookies Dom Didomenico '06, Anywhere Sikochi '05, Bright and Greg Lazerus '06.
Head Coach Martin Beatty was more than pleased at his team's efforts, "I was surprised at how well we did. Considering the lag and the lack of sleep following the week of midterms, you wouldn't expect such great performances. This shows what kind of team we have this year."
The next weekend the team competed in a smaller meet at La Verne University in La Verne, Calif., on Saturday, March 29. Although the athletes were hindered by their tough week of training and recreation, they produced positive results.
A handful of competitors were victorious. March improved on her top effort from the previous weekend by over seven feet in the hammer throw with a toss of 147'6". In doing so, she became the fourth Middlebury track athlete to qualify for the outdoor national championships thus far.
Porter showed great consistency from the previous week as well. She won the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:06.41. Captain Mike Mazzotta '03 rounded out the winners for Middlebury in the 10,000-meter run with a time of 35:03.
The drop-off in the quality of results from Aztec Classic left many other athletes frustrated with their performances, but Beatty was able to offer the proper perspective for their efforts. "The coaches take advantage of the weather and wealth of time to really beat up our athletes with tough workouts, and their bodies were a little worn down."
But Beatty explains that the coaches' madness has a method, "The workouts are just money in the bank, and the athletes will get it back, with interest, over the next few weeks."
With the NESCAC championships coming about four weeks after the spring trip, Beatty hopes those returns operate on a monthly cycle.