Track Teams Win Races and Set Personal-Bests at Larry Ellis, Greyhound and Holy Cross Invitationals
The Colgate men’s and women’s track and field teams have each had solid seasons, garnering many top-ten finishes each weekend. However, last weekend at the Holy Cross, Larry Ellis and Greyhound Invitationals both Raiders teams enjoyed their most combined success of the year.
The success started last Friday night at the Larry Ellis Invitational, hosted by Princeton. First-year Kendall Lyons set the Colgate freshman record in the 1,500 meters, running a personal-best time of 4:40.93. The time was good enough for third-best in the Patriot League this season.
The Raiders did not let Friday’s initial success go wasted, as they carried on the exemplary performance into Saturday. The women’s team showed off their talent at the Greyhound Invitational, hosted by Moravian College.
“It was good conditions down at Moravian, good weather and nice facilities,” Michele Miller said.
Reigning Patriot League and ECAC Track Athlete of the Week Curry Knox continued her impressive runs, taking first place in the 100-meter dash and second in both the 100-meter hurdles and 200-meter dash. Sophomore Michele Miller put on an impressive display of her own, setting the Colgate record in the 400-meter dash with a personal-record time of 56.98. The time was good enough for second in the Patriot League this year.
“I have been trying to break into the 56 range for a while now and so I was happy to accomplish that goal,” Miller said.
Both Knox and Miller teamed up with first-year Alexandra Atkinson and junior Ashley Niness to set the school record in the 4×400 meter relay. Their time of 3:53.21 was .49 of a second faster than the previous record set in 2002.
“I am extremely proud of the 4×4. We’ve all trained real hard and deserve this reward,” Miller said. Arguably even more impressive was the time turned in by Miller in the third leg, 55 seconds flat.
The men’s team, which finished fifth out of eight teams at Holy Cross, copied the women by winning two races of their own. Junior Phil Natoli took first in the 400-meter hurdles with a personal-best time of 54.45, good enough for fifth-best in the Patriot League this season. First-year Alex Coco brought home the other men’s victory, taking first in the 110-meter hurdles with a 15.98.
“It felt great to grab my first victory running for Colgate,” Coco said. In the 1,500 meter run junior Jeremy Fischer posted a personal-record time, taking third with a 4:00.94. And in the 800-meter run the Raiders nearly owned the podium, instead settling for second, third and fourth with sophomore’s Dan Gleason, Jon Knowlton and Ed Boulat, respectively. Holy Cross won the event.
With four victories between the two teams and multiple personal records achieved, it is safe to call this weekend a success for the Colgate squad.