Indoor track picks up pace against Catamounts First-years put on impressive performances as winter season kicks into gear

Author: Zamir Ahmed

On Jan. 20, the Middlebury indoor track team traveled north to Burlington to take on the Division I University of Vermont in the team's third meet of the year. Several Panthers continued their strong start to the season, putting up impressive marks as a pair of regional championship meets fast approach.

On the women's side, the team was led by a number of first-years. Rookie Jen Katz '09 took home third place in the 55-meter dash in a school-record time of 7.54 seconds and won the silver in the 200-meter dash with another school-record time of 27.23 seconds. A trio of other first-year sprinters also showed their talent, wrapping up the 1-2-3 spots in the 55-meter hurdles. Emily Coles '09 won the race in 9.38 seconds, followed by teammates Kelley Coughlan '09 in second place and Jennifer Brenes '09 in third. Coughlan added a gold to go with her silver, winning the triple jump with a mark of 10.57 meters.

"The freshmen class is pretty amazing," said Co-Captain Kevin Bright '06. "They work hard, are easy-going and are just nice people who are easy to get along with. I am sure they do not realize they are doing this, but it goes a long way and makes the coaches' and everyone elses' jobs a lot easier."

On the men's side, Pascal Losambe '07 set the tone for the team at the meet, taking home the top prize in two throwing events. Losambe tallied a mark of 11.87 meters in the 35-pound weight throw and 14.00 meters in the shot put, followed by teammate Frank Silva '09 in second place. Bright and Patrick Sedney '08 also won events against the Catamounts. Bright, an All-American last season, crossed the line first in the 400-meter dash with a time of 51.64 seconds, followed by first-year racer Benjamin Fowler in second place. Sedney was the victor in the pole vault, clearing the bar at a height of 3.81 meters to take home the gold.

The Panthers have two more meets in their winter season to qualify for the Division III New England Championships held on Feb. 17-18. A number of Panthers also have a chance to qualify for the ultra-competitive Open New England Championships on Feb. 24-25, a meet that draws some of the top athletes from throughout the region. The team hopes that the next few weeks will help it reach peak form as it heads into the spring outdoor season.

"I am looking for as many more athletes to qualify [for New Englands] in the next meets as possible," said Co-Captain Whitney Creed '06. "I know there are many who are on the edge and these next two meets will be a great time to improve personal records and qualify. This is only the beginning of a very long season, and with all of the hard work eveyone has been putting in at practice I know that times will drop and distances and heights will improve by the spring."

The team seems especially proud of its camraderie, supporting each other as they work towards preparing for the competitive outdoor season. "[The McGill Team Challenge] is pretty exciting because it is a pretty fun meet," said Bright. "It does not get much better than to see one of your teamates reach a goal or win a tough race." With four months still to go in the year, the team hopes to have plenty of opportunities succeed.