Parity is a word that’s commonly thrown around to describe athletic competition in the Ivy League.
This weekend’s track and field meet between Cornell, Harvard and Brown in Cambridge, Ma., showed exactly why that’s done.
Only 12.5 points separated first and third place on the men’s side while just six points bridged first and third in the women’s competition.
Cornell’s men (63.5 points) took the top spot ahead of Harvard (55.5) and Brown (51). The Red women (55) took second in between the Crimson (57) and the Bears (51).
“We’re pretty happy to win against Harvard,” said Tyler Kaune, who won the long jump with a mark of 6.96 meters.
Along with Kaune, first place finishers for the men were Mike Kiselycznyk (400 meters, 50.21), Matt Murnan (500 meters, 1:06.00), Geoff Van Fleet (1000 meters, 2:26.16), Travis Offner (long jump, 4.80 meters), and Jeremy Blanchet (weight throw, 17.42 meters). The 4×400 meter relay also crossed the line first, clocking 3:22.51.
Although the men did take first, they weren’t completely satisfied with their performance.
“We’re happy we won but we feel like could have beat them by a lot more,” Kaune said.
The women, on the other hand, had a positive spin on their performance.
“We are happy because we only lost by two points,” said co-captain Kim Chatman, who finished second in the mile behind teammate Lena Mathews.
Chatman added that head coach Lou Duesing told the team that, “Everyone did what they needed to and there was no one to blame.”
Danielle Brown won the triple jump, on a leap of 12.31 meters (which was also a personal best).
In 800 meters, Anne Hansgate came in first in 2:16.93. And with a time of 9:18.27, Cornell claimed first place honors in the 4×800 meter relay.
Other top finishers for the Red were Katie Jay, who took second in the 60 meter dash and the 200 meter run, as well as Karen Chastain, who earned second in the weight throw and third in the shot put.
Though it finished second, Cornell’s performance proves that it belongs at the top echelon of the Ivies, alongside Harvard and Brown, who were first and second at the indoor Heps last year.
“[The meet] builds up momentum because we’re in the hunt,” Chatman said, adding, “If you start on a good note, that just builds confidence.”
Because this season’s Heps will be held at Harvard, the Red got a sneak preview of the track before the event rolls around in February.
“We’re not going to be afraid of it,” Chatman said. “We know what it’s like.”
However, Kaune did have one caveat about the Crimson’s running surface, which could bode poorly for all the teams competing at the Heps.
He said, “It’s a really crappy track.”
Archived article by Shiva Nagaraj