Mixed Results for Track at D-III New Englands

The indoor track team competed in its first championship meet of the season this past Saturday, Feb. 22, when it travelled south to Massachusetts to attend the Division III New England Championships. The day brought a split in location for the Panther squad, as the men headed to MIT and the women to Springfield, where each group emerged from the day with a number of All-New England honors, including one champion.

On the women’s side, the team brought home six all-region honors, which are awarded to those athletes that finish in the top eight places in his or her event. Hannah Blackburn ’17 received accolades in her first season, taking seventh place in the triple jump with a mark of 34’ 10.25”. Erzsie Nagy ’17 also continued her successful first year of college competition with her sixth-place finish in the 800 meters, crossing the line in a time of 2:21.30. Alison Maxwell ’15 ran the mile in 5:08.44, good for a fifth-place finish, and Laura Strom ’14.5 high-jumped 5’3” inches, landing her a fourth-place finish in the high jump. The distance medley relay team, consisting of Catie Skinner ’17, Abigail Pohl ’17, Addis Fouche-Channer ’17, and KatieRominger ’14, managed to gain honors as well, taking eighth place with a time 12:50.87.

Perhaps the most exciting performance of the day came when Alex Morris ’16 won the 400 meters, earning herself the title of New England champion in the event by crossing the line in a time of 58.49, defeating the field by over half a second.

“I was over the moon winning the 400, especially since it was pretty unexpected,” Morris said. “The field was a lot more competitive than it was last year and I knew that it was going to be incredibly difficult. The other girls pushed me all throughout the race and I didn’t really believe I could win it until I overtook the final girl in the last 50 meters. It wasn’t my fastest time, but sometimes you just have to race the race.”

Overall, the women finished in eighth place in the field of 28 teams, scoring a total of 25 points on the day.

“I think the women’s team really did itself proud,” Morris said. “It wasn’t a very fast track so some times were not what we were hoping they’d be, but we held our own against teams that have a lot more manpower. Not having an indoor track has been frustrating at times, but I think next year we’re going to come back even stronger at this meet.”

On the men’s side, the Panthers brought home five All-New England honors, with three individuals and two relay teams managing top-eight finishes. Alex Nichols ’17 continued his solid first-year season with a seventh-place finish in the 400 meters, crossing the line in a time of 51.05. Brandon Cushman ’16 furthered the team’s middle distance success with a 1:24.32 performance in the 600 meters, running himself into seventh place. Wilder Schaaf ’14.5 also solidified his all-region honors with his sixth-place finish in the mile, posting an impressive time of 4:16.85. The men’s distance medley relay team, consisting of Mark Perry ’16, Alex Ugorji ’17, Sam Klockenkemper ’17 and Sebastian Matt ’16 just made the cut by finishing in eighth in a time of 10:42.21. With their fifth place finish of 3:27.35, Fritz Parker ‘15, Peter Hetzler ‘14, Cushman and Nichols also secured honors for the 4x400 meter relay team.

“[DIII New Englands] is always a strange sort of meet for us,” Captain Bryan Holtzman ’14 said. “There is no NESCAC meet for the winter season, so this meet serves somewhat as a stand-in for that.  We want to score well as a team, but we certainly don’t do everything possible to maximize our score.  In the past, we place much higher at NESCACs than we do at D3s.”

Holtzman lauded his teammates for their individual performances.

“The highlight of the day for me was seeing Brandon Cushman PR by over a second in the 600 meter to take seventh place,” Holtzman said. “He ran aggressively, raced well tactically, and was rewarded with his first All-NE honor.” The men’s squad finished with a total of 12.5 points, taking 15th place in a field of 26 teams.

“We didn’t score as many points as we would have liked and our performances were not as strong as we would have hoped,” Head Coach Martin Beatty said, “but everyone competed hard and was excited for the meet. Considering that our training has been hindered without an indoor track this year, the attitude of the team is amazing. They are all mature and driven athletes that will deal with all obstacles in a positive way.”

The Panthers look to return to action on Friday, Feb. 28 and continue postseason competition when those who make the qualifying list will participate in Open New Englands at Boston University, competing against athletes from all divisions.