The men’s and women’s track and field teams entered the weekend with high hopes of coming away with the Heps championship. Both teams finished with three event titles, as well as many more scoring opportunities for the Red. According to senior co-captain Molly Glantz, although both teams finished second overall, Cornell athletes can hold their heads high knowing that they gave all they could for their team and for their school.
“I think we gave 110 percent in terms of effort and did all we could but I also think that things don’t [always] happen perfectly,” she said. “I think everyone can look back on their performances and say they could have done this or that, but at the end of the day we did all we could for the weekend and I think Columbia did a really great job.”
The men’s team came up just eight points shy of winning the meet, taking second to Princeton. Senior hurdler Dan Hagberg described how close the Red was to claiming the Heps title.
“We had a great day one, better than we normally do,” he said. “Then Sunday came around and we had a lot of great performances but just came up a little bit short at the end. [We had] the highest points total at a Heps ever to not win the meet.”
According to men’s head coach Nathan Taylor, the difference between winning and losing in a meet like the Heps can be extremely close.
“I think it’s always tough when you think you can win and then not win,” he said. “When you think about it we lost the meet by one centimeter and two one-hundredths of a second. It’s the blink of an eye; that’s the difference between winning and losing in this meet. If you gave grades, we’ve got a very good team; we got an A. The other team got an A-plus.”
The men’s team came away with first-place finishes in the 60m hurdles by Hagberg, in the long jump by sophomore Steven Bell and in the heptathlon by senior Nick Huber. Hagberg was pleased with his first place finish.
“I was ecstatic,” he said. “I ran a [personal record], the first time I’ve ever gone under eight before [in the 60m hurdles]. That was a personal goal of mine, to break eight, so that was good to get that out of the way with one of my last meets indoor.”
Bell pointed to hard work as the reason why he was able to defend his crown in the long jump.
“It feels pretty good. It’s good to know that my hard work pays off.”
The women’s team finished first in the 60m by senior co-captain Melissa Hewitt, in the shot put by junior Victoria Imbessi and in the 4x400m relay by a team comprised of sophomore Ebolutalese Airewele, senior Kelsey Reimnitz, junior Libby O’Brien and freshman Katie Woodford.
Freshman Rutger Admirand believes that it is very important for the Red to look forward to the next meets, not dwelling on what could have been or what should have been, but rather focusing on where the team is moving forward
“There’s a point where you have to sit there and reflect on what happened and what you need to do,” he said. “But when it comes down to it you really just can’t sit there and wallow in it. You have to pick your head up, you have to look forward and you have to realize that you’re the best one out there, or you’re on the best team out there. You’re going to see a lot of fire [from this team]. Losing at home just by eight points is ridiculous. Everyone is just ready to go.”
Taylor told his team that there is a lot to be learned from this Heps meet, and he is confident in the resilience of the team.
“I told them in our team meeting, ‘I think that pain and disappointment are two of the best potential teachers out there,’” he said. “The challenge is what you do with that pain and disappointment. They won’t have any trouble getting back up.”
The Red now gears up to compete at the IC4A/ECAC championships this upcoming weekend in Boston. This meet is generating a lot of excitement amongst the team, according to Hagberg.
“I’m excited,” he said. “IC4As [are] looking big. We’re at our peak performances right now, so it’s another chance to show people what we’re capable of doing.”
Beyond this, however, the Red is looking for the outdoor season to be another successful campaign. Glantz is entering the spring season with high expectations for her team.
“After being here three years and seeing us perform indoor and outdoor, I think that we’re a better outdoor than indoor team,” she said. “Everyone is just going to get faster and stronger.”
Taylor outlined what the Red has to do to come out and compete hard in the spring.
“It will be determined by who comes to compete; which team really comes to compete, which team confronts their fears and anxieties best.”
Hewitt is confident that the second place finishes for the men’s and women’s teams are going to serve as the right motivation for a strong spring season.
“We’re going to come back with a vengeance.”
“It feels pretty good. It’s good to know that my hard work pays off.”
The women’s team finished first in the 60m by senior co-captain Melissa Hewitt, in the shot put by junior Victoria Imbessi and in the 4x400m relay by a team comprised of sophomore Ebolutalese Airewele, senior Kelsey Reimnitz, junior Libby O’Brien and freshman Katie Woodford.
Freshman Rutger Admirand believes that it is very important for the Red to look forward to the next meets, not dwelling on what could have been or what should have been, but rather focusing on where the team is moving forward
“There’s a point where you have to sit there and reflect on what happened and what you need to do,” he said. “But when it comes down to it you really just can’t sit there and wallow in it. You have to pick your head up, you have to look forward and you have to realize that you’re the best one out there, or you’re on the best team out there. You’re going to see a lot of fire [from this team]. Losing at home just by eight points is ridiculous. Everyone is just ready to go.”
Taylor told his team that there is a lot to be learned from this Heps meet, and he is confident in the resilience of the team.
“I told them in our team meeting, ‘I think that pain and disappointment are two of the best potential teachers out there,’” he said. “The challenge is what you do with that pain and disappointment. They won’t have any trouble getting back up.”
The Red now gears up to compete at the IC4A/ECAC championships this upcoming weekend in Boston. This meet is generating a lot of excitement on the team, according to Hagberg.
“I’m excited,” he said. “IC4As [are] looking big. We’re at our peak performances right now, so it’s another chance to show people what we’re capable of doing.”
Beyond this, however, the Red is looking to mount another successful campaign in the outdoor season. Glantz is entering the spring season with high expectations for her team.
“After being here three years and seeing us perform indoor and outdoor, I think that we’re a better outdoor than indoor team,” she said. “Everyone is just going to get faster and stronger.”
Taylor outlined what the Red has to do to come out and compete hard in the spring.
“It will be determined by who comes to compete; which team really comes to compete, which team confronts their fears and anxieties best.”
Hewitt is confident that the second place finishes for the men’s and women’s teams are going to serve as the right motivation for a strong spring season.
“We’re going to come back with a vengeance.”
Original Author: Juan Carlos Toledo