In a show of force that has become typical of the 2005 season, the track team won its dual meet against Yale, held in Barton Hall. The men’s squad racked up 87 points to defeat the Bulldogs by 34 points, while the women topped the Elis 104-41.
In the men’s competition, the Red came out on top 87-53, winning several close races in the process. Overall, they won eleven times on the day with six IC4A qualifiers and two meet records. Four of Cornell’s five wins on the track came from its group of star first-year athletes. Freshman Mike Smayda won the 800 in 1:55.33 and classmate Adam Seabrook was impressive in taking the 500 in 1:05.31. The rookie success continued as Jimmy Wyner won the mile with a time of 4:14.13, and senior Sam Mackenzie came in second at 4:14.52. First-year sensation Saidu Ezike won the 60 hurdles in 8.20.
“The 800 is one of my favorite races,” Smayda said. “I’ve improved quite a bit lately so things are looking good.”
The 4×400 relay squad closed out the meet by winning with a record time of 3:19.52. The Red’s other meet record came from senior Adam Sansiveri, who won the vault with an Eastern-qualifying 16-2 3/4. Senior Zach Beadle won the shot put with an IC4A qualifying 52-4 as the Red took the top five spots.
On the other side, the women’s squad won twelve events, had seven ECAC qualifiers and set three meet records en route to a very strong team performance. The Red was particularly strong on the track, where it took nine of eleven events. The highlight of the day was two meet records in middle distance races, as sophomore Morgan Uceny ran 2:10.52 to win the 800, and seniors Alison Koplar and Carrie Richards finished first and second respectively in the 1000, with times of 2:51.49 and 2:51.77.
“The 800 is the race that I train the most for, and it really paid off,” Uceny said. “This was a personal record for me and I’m proud that it came during the Yale dual meet, and that the team as a whole competed so well.”
The day got off to a good start when senior Sarah Coseo won the mile in 5:02.12, and was followed by a Red sweep of the top three spots in the 60 hurdles. Sophomore Stephanie King finished first, and was followed by freshman Joan Casey and junior Jamie Greubel, with times of 8.92, 9.15, and 9.36. The 400 was another clean sweep for the Red, as the trio of senior Shonda Brown, sophomore Cameron Washington and senior Kari Steed finished one-two-three with times of 57.39, 57.54, and 57.82. The Red swept the top four spots in the 3000 as well, with junior Emily McCabe winning for the second time in as many weeks, this time breaking the tape in 9:59.92. Sophomore Nyam Kagwima finished second with a time of 10:02.26, and juniors Christy Planer and Angela Kudla completing the sweep. In the shot put, freshman Maria Telloni won in 43-1 3/4 while junior Sheeba Ibidunni was second with 42-2.
“Maria did a terrific job on the shot put,” said women’s head coach Lou Duesing. “She has been working hard and things have been coming for her. Not only did she throw very well to throw over 43 feet, she had a very, very good series of throws which adds to the quality of the overall performance.”
Archived article by Jacob Leiberman
Sun Staff Writer