Tract Teams Excel at Division III Meet

Author: Erich Kahner

Some of the strongest and swiftest in New England competed against each other at the NCAA Division III New England Outdoor Track and Field Championships on May 2-3. The men's team traveled to Bates College and finished eighth out of 23 teams with 38 points, while the women went to Williams College, where they finished sixth out of 27 teams with by tallying 36 points.
"It's a very tough competition," said Head Coach Martin Beatty about the track meet. "To finish with both teams in the top 10, I was really excited for that."
Several women placed in the top eight and earned all-New England status. Jess Manzer '05 continued to shave time off of her 1,500-meter best. She ran a 4:37.07, nearly two seconds fastest than her previous best, and placed third.
Michela Adrian '03 continues to improve after coming back from an injury only three weeks ago. Adrian took 15 seconds off her 5,000-meter time from last week's meet with her third place, 17:45.49 effort at New Englands. Maryanne Porter '04 placed third in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:04.26.
Kirsten Nagel '06 and Sarah Berkowitz '05 also won all-New England honors. Nagel placed fourth in the 100-meter dash in a time of 13.58 seconds, and Berkowitz vaulted 10'6" in the pole vault-good enough for fifth place.
The men placed a few high finishers last weekend as well. Kristoph Becker '06 won his all-New England merit by totaling 6,103 points in the decathlon and throwing the javelin 187'11". He placed second in both of these events.
Kevin Bright '06 placed second in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 53.85 seconds. Steve Atkinson '06 complemented Becker in the javelin with a fourth-place throw of 173'08" and Liam Aiello ran to 5th in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.11 seconds.
Although there are a few meets remaining for some athletes, Beatty already sees this season as successful. "It makes my job a joy to work with people like this," Beatty remarked on the team. "They've acted really mature and haven't complained about the weather. They've taken what could've been one of the most frustrating years and made it into one of the most fun years ever."
The season continues next weekend with the Open New England Championships and concludes with the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships on May 22-25 at St. Lawrence University.