This weekend, the track teams divided up their ranks and attended two separate competitions. A handful of individuals traveled to Penn State, while the rest defended their home turf at the Robert J. Kane Invitational.
At home, the Red amassed several outstanding performances. Cornell’s results in the distance events were crowned by a trio of second-place finishes: sophomore Colleen Eccles in the 1000m, freshman Carrie Richards in the mile, and sophomore Jessica Parrot in the 3000m.
The multi-talented sophomore Liz Ferguson earned first place in the long jump and the 60m dash.
Meanwhile, the women runners at the prestigious US Track Coaches’ Challenge Cup were also coming out on top.
In the 200m, junior Katy Jay placed third and set a new school record in the process. She and teammates freshman Kari Steed, sophomore Hanna Garrity, and senior Anne Marie McMillan also set a school record in the 4 x 400.
In the distance events, junior Carlan Gray finished second overall in the 5000m, while the distance medley of Garrity, freshman Amber McGown, junior co-captain Natalie Whelan, and senior Lena Mathews came in second.
Women’s track also qualified two more athletes for ECACs this weekend: sophomore Natalie Gingerich in the 800m and junior Sarah Herskee in the shot put.
“They really took advantage of the atmosphere,” said Duesing. “I was quite pleased.”
The men also got a chance to strut their stuff at Penn State.
“It was a very competitive meet,” said men’s head coach Nathan Taylor, “but we had a number of strong performances.”
Senior thrower Jeremy Blanchet and sophomore pole vaulter Travis Offner both qualified for the NCAA championships and placed third in their respective events. Offner turned in a new indoor record and posted the third highest mark ever for an Ivy League athlete.
In the 5000m, senior co-captain Max King and junior Dan Dombroski placed third and fourth, respectively, and qualified for IC4As. Senior Dan Meehan’s time in the 800m also earned him a ticket to the IC4As.
Men’s track had a successful showing at home as well, earning several first-place finishes. In the pole vault, senior Brett Scott tied the top mark, while freshman Zach Beadle finished first and threw an IC4A qualifying-mark in the shot put.Sophomore thrower Giles Longley-Cook, freshman long jumper Rich Jones, and senior miler Steve McLearn rounded out the pack, placing second in their respective events.
Archived article by Meredith Long