Track Hosts Multi Events II and Robert Kane Invitational at Barton Hall This Weekend

Cornell will host both the Multi Events II this afternoon at 4:30 p.m. and the Robert Kane Invitational tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. in Barton Hall. The Multi Events II is the second meet of its kind this year featuring a women’s pentathlon and a men’s heptathlon. The Kane Invitational will consist of the standard track and field events.

The Multi Events this year attracted many athletes to exclusively compete in the pentathlon or heptathlon.

“It’s a much larger field in the Multi’s this year,” said junior jumper Kimberly Lienhoop. “It will be more competition for our multi-event athletes.”

“This weekend is a good chance for some people to do their events in the multis,” said sophomore thrower Bob Belden.

For the Robert Kane Invitational, 22 teams will be coming to Cornell with over 1300 athletes set to compete. Most of the teams will come from the local area of upstate New York and northern Pennsylvania. Another large meet is just what the Red wants in preparation for the upcoming Heptagonal Championships.

“It’s another chance to perform,” Belden said. “It’s all about getting ready for Heps.”

Belden also mentioned a different focus in their training.

“Most of us have reduced our workload recently to get more performance during meets,” Belden said. “We’re keeping our bodies more fresh and seeing how we can perform when we’re fresh. … We want to be in a position where we’re healthy.”

Lienhoop believes the meets this weekend will help individuals see where they stand.

“It’s not a lot of competition from outside, so we’ll work on what we need to do more individually,” Lienhoop said.

The track and field teams are coming off of a successful showing last week at Penn State –– finishing third in a field of 14 teams. Facing tough competition, the Red stepped up to place among the top-10 in many events. Because of difficult meets like these throughout the season, both teams have realized a key strength: depth. [4]Brady's bunch: Sophomore Samantha Brady leaps over the bar in a pole vault competition earlier this season at Barton Hall. The Red will host 22 teams this weekend at Barton for the Multi Events II and Robert Kane Invitational meets.

“We have a lot of depth this year,” Lienhoop said. “It could be a big factor when we get to Heps this year when one or two points could make a big difference.”

For the male team, much of the depth comes from the younger athletes on the team like freshmen athletes Bruno Hortelano-Roig, Jedidiah Adarquah-Yiadom and Nick Wade. These freshmen and other lower team members have stepped up to perform phenomenally and are still improving.

“Lots of the young guys are coming along well,” Belden said. “They’re giving real good performances.”

These impressive performances create a roster that is deep enough to score in any meet.

“I think it’s important we have multiple girls in one event,” Lienhoop said. “It boosts our chances to win an event. Even if one of us has a bad day, others can step up.”

The talented Cornell athletes this season also support each other just by being in the events together.

“We compete against each other on the track and use each other,” Lienhoop said.

The teams are still constantly trying to improve their performances.

“The season’s always a building process,” Belden said.