While some of the greatest athletes in the world prepared for yesterday’s Super Bowl, some of Cornell’s finest athletes were demonstrating their abilities on the track. The men’s and women’s track teams divided as the Red competed in four different competitions this weekend.
On Friday, nine members of the Red competed at New York City’s famed Madison Square Garden in the Millrose Games. The games, which were broadcasted on ESPN2, attracted some of the top track stars in the nation.
[img_assist|nid=21133|title=Get on my level|desc=Freshman Duane Teixera jumps over bar this past weekend in the Cornell Open|link=none|align=left|width=100|height=69]
Representing the Cornell women was senior Sarah Wilferd, who finished fourth in the high jump.
For the men, the Red boasted squads in both the 4×400 and 4×800 relay events, both of which were aired live on ESPN2. Senior Kolby Hoover, junior Adam Seabrook, sophomore Marcel van Eeden and freshman Michael Kippins combined to place the 4×400 relay squad fourth out of five teams. In the 4×800 event, senior Brian Mongeon, juniors Mike Smayda and Jimmy Wyner, and sophomore Andy Miller led the Red to a fourth-place finish out of seven.
“I think we did well,” said Mongeon. “You always wish you could place higher, but we proved we belong on that level. The most amazing thing was competing at Madison Square Garden. That was pretty awesome.”
On Saturday, senior Morgan Uceny traveled to Indiana to compete in the Notre Dame’s Meyo Invitational. The competition featured some of the top performers in North America, with participants coming from various schools, ranging from the University of Toronto to South Alabama. Uceny was one of 50 runners in the 800-meter race. Her time of 2:05.14 was good enough for a fourth-place finish, behind three athletes from the Big-10.
Other members of the Red were in New York City for the New Balance Collegiate Invitational this past Saturday. Juniors Muhammad Halim and Rayon Taylor continued their excellent seasons in producing a 3-4 finish in the triple jump, respetively. Freshman Natalie Gengel represented the women with a seventh place finish in the pole vault.
Senior co-captain David Pell and sophomore Garrett Huyler represented Cornell in the high jump. Huyler finished in a tie for seventh place by clearing 2.06 meters.
“I feel I did O.K.,” Huyler said. “I expect to jump about 6-9 every meet. Hopefully I will clear seven [feet] sometime soon.”
Members of the team who were not in either New York City or Indiana this weekend competed in the Cornell Open at Barton Hall. Even without many of its star performers, the Red dominated, winning over half of the meet’s events.
The Red women’s mid-distance and distance runners were especially dominant, winning each of the seven races of 300 or more meters. Senior Cameron Washington led a first- through sixth-place Cornell sweep in the 300-meter dash. Sophomore Tameka Royal earned a victory in the 400-meter race. Freshman Elise Tagatac won the 500-meter race. Junior Angelica Gregory won the 800-meter race. Freshman Nyam Kagwima led a 1-2-3-4-5 sweep of the 1000-meter race. Kat Beck won the 3000-meter race. Senior Toni Salucci led a first place to eighth-place Cornell sweep of the one mile race.
The men were equally as dominant, led by junior David Mengel and freshman Duane Teixeira, each of whom won two events.