Midd kicks it into high gear

Author: Chris Dowd

In a couple of close calls, both the men's and women's track and field teams finished third this past weekend in the NESCAC Championships, hosted by Bowdoin. Williams won both meets, and Tufts barely edged out the Panthers to take second place. Coach Martin Beatty called the weekend and the third place finishes "a couple of great performances to finish a very successful year in the NESCAC."

Last year's Middlebury teams also finished third in the NESCAC, but after the loss of a deep and talented senior class, chances of repeating that performance seemed dismal. Senior captain Kevin Bright noted, "after losing a lot of key contributors, we really needed a great deal of people to step up and repeat last year's finish." The Panthers did in fact step up, and not only repeated last year's placing, but came exceptionally close to improving on it.

On the men's side, Bright and fellow senior Kristoph Becker scored in a combined 10 events to lead the Panthers. Bright won both the 400 and the 400 hurdles, and Becker took home the javelin and placed third in the high jump. The two all-Americans refused to be denied in their last chance to compete with the entire Middlebury team. While individual competition will continue to follow for each, Bright noted that not much compares to competing with the team; "NESCAC's are by far the most exciting meet to run at just because every event, whether it is running, jumping or throwing, contributes something positive to the team that is bigger than yourself." Both Bright and Kristoph embodied this notion and jumpstarted the Panthers across the board.

Following the seniors' fervor and success, a slew of Panthers rose to the occasion to support the team cause. Senior and fellow all-American Steve Atkinson finished right behind Becker in the javelin, and junior Will McDonough earned an impressive second place finish in the 3000 steeplechase race. And in what was perhaps the gutsiest performance of the day, first-year Ben Fowler scored in two straight 400 events in a span of eight minutes.

Junior Bobby Marcoux, sophomore Jimmy Butcher and senior Matt Engler also contributed with third place finishes in the discus, 5000 meter and 110 hurdles, respectively, all earning All-NESCAC honors.

On the women's side, junior Mary Fredrickson led the charge with a third straight NESCAC championship win in the javelin. She joined fellow juniors Beth Butler and Andrea Giddings in qualifying for nationals and making all-NESCAC. Butler took second in the 800, and Giddings set a Middlebury school record with a time of 11:11 in her fourth place finish in the steeplechase, while she also took second in the 5000. Senior captain Whitney Creed rounded out an impressive day for the Middlebury upperclassmen by taking third in the hammer and also making all-NESCAC.

But it was the workings of a surprising first-year class that allowed the Panthers to finish so strongly as a team. Emer Feighery won the pole vault competition clearing 10 ft., and Jen Katz seized two second-place finishes in both the 100 and 200. Right behind her, and rounding out the fresh young performances, was Emily Coles, taking third in the 100.

So after a successful team finish, the Panthers will now focus individually on doing well in nationals and New Englands. With team goals and fun behind them, Bright noted that focus now shifts "on trying to concentrate one weekend at a time in order to try and perform the best at the end of the month." The Panthers put together quite a team effort all season, and it would not be a surprise to see a lot of these individuals go on and succeed at the national level.