Track vaults to ninth-place finish

Author: Livingston Burgess

The Middlebury women's track team made strong statements about its depth and potential at the first postseason meet of its indoor season Saturday, Feb. 23, while the men's team struggled with injuries and illness as both teams competed in the New England Division III Championship meets.

Thirteen women earned All-New England honors in the races at Smith while Ian O'Reilly '08 was the sole scorer for the men running at Tufts.

The day's top-placing Panthers came from the women's distance medley team that included Christina Kunycky '11, Sophia Spring '11, Simone Weisman '09 and Alexandra Krieg '08, who narrowly edged the squad from Brandeis for second-place finish.

"The relays were particularly strong for the women," said head coach Martin Beatty, citing a groundswell of young talent, particularly in the sprint and mid-distance events. "This is a really good young class here."

Indeed, most of Middlebury's 33 points came in the relays. The 4x200m team of Anjuli Demers '10, Katy Magill '11, Grace Close '11 and Liz Huntley '08 placed third. The 4x400m team comprised of Demers, Magill, Weisman and Close fifth. The 4x800m team of Spring, Cailey Condit '10, Erin Toner '11 and Kaitlyn Saldanha '11 eighth.

Most of these showings were turned in by athletes who doubled- and even tripled-up. Krieg, for example, ran the 1,600m leg of the distance medley and also took fourth in the 3,000m run, and Magill ran the open 400m in addition to her two relays.

Rounding out the meet were Sarah Wilson '08, who finished eighth in the pole vault and Jen Currie '08, who finished fifth in the weight throw. In all, the team's 33 points were good for ninth place among the 40 schools who fielded qualifiers.

With fewer entrants, and several of those who did make the trip to Tufts fighting setbacks, the men's team took 22nd overall on the strength of O'Reilly's fifth place showing in the 800m, which Beatty was very happy to see come through.

"He's really fought through a lot, so it's really nice to see him back [from injuries in the fall and winter], and he's just going to get stronger," said Beatty.

O'Reilly's final time was 1:56.27, placing him very close to his rivals in a tightly spaced field, flush with NESCAC competitors.

O'Reilly's co-captain Jimmy Butcher '08, hampered by the flu, was 14th in the 5,000m. But Beatty expects him to regain his stride and continue to be a force in NESCAC races and beyond as the indoor season winds down and outdoor competition begins.

Another veteran Panther, Pat Sedney '08, had a strong showing of 12-5 1/2" in the pole vault as he came back from a hamstring injury. Kris Williams '11 qualified in that event but did not compete, the result of a back injury.

Beatty is still waiting on other results to tell which Panthers will travel to the Open New England Championship Meet this weekend, but he is already very satisfied with this indoor season, whatever berths might be earned.

He is particularly excited about Krieg and Currie qualifying for the NCAA Division III Indoor Championships in the 5000m and weight throw, respectively. They, and any other athletes who might qualify in the interim, will travel to Ohio Northern University March 14-15.