Men’s and Women’s Track Gear up for Championships
The men’s and women’s indoor track teams looked sharp last weekend in their preparation for the Patriot League Championships, which are less than two weeks away.
Men’s Head Coach Art McKinnon split his team in two, sending several runners to the Giegengack Invitational at Yale University, and others to the Syracuse Invitational. Leading the way for the Raiders at Yale was first-year Tim Metivier, who clocked a 1:05:52 in the 500-meter dash to place third in the heat. The 800-meter dash produced three Raiders who finished in the top 10 including sophomore Jonathan Knowlton (1:55.67, sixth), sophomore Ed Boulat (1:56.50, eighth) and junior Jeremy Fisher (1:56.87, ninth).
“I think everyone one on the team is pleased with the progress, but it was expected,” distance runner Andy Gorman said. “The team has shown continuous improvement since the Army meet in early January and we expect the trend to continue.”
Sophomore Dan Gleason, who captured first place in the mile at last weekend’s Class of ’32 Invitational, set a new personal record at Yale with a time of 4:16.03 in the mile.
“Gleason has only been a surprise this year because he didn’t know what event to focus on last year,” Gorman said. “We always knew he had the talent.”
First-year Alex Coco, competing at the Syracuse invitational, recorded an 8.02 to finish third in the 55-meter hurdles. Sophomore Griff Cannon shaved over 40 seconds off his 5,000-meter run time to record a personal-best 15:31.06.
Senior Curry Knox once again led the charge for the women’s track team on Saturday, setting two more personal records at the Syracuse Invitational. She started the day by breaking her own record in the 55-meter dash with a time of 7.18 to finish second, and later clocked a personal-best 25.87 to win the 200-meter dash.
Senior Ashley Mecone also set a personal record in the 55-meter dash, finishing .29 behind Knox in the 55-meter dash to place third. Sophomore Michelle Miller had three top-five finishes, including a first-place finish in the 400-meter dash with a time of 58.72. She also placed second in the 200-meter dash with a 26.52 and fifth in the 55-meter dash with a 7.54.
Junior Ashley Niness finished the 800-meter run in 2:21.15 to place second. In the 3,000-meter run, first-year Elise DeRoo placed third with a 10:25.32 and senior Jessica Kielty placed fourth with a 10:28.62.
The women will participate in the Lafayette/Rider Invitational on February 13, while the men will be at Boston University.
“We surprised a lot people by finishing fourth last year at indoor Patriots and we’re looking to pull the upset again,” Gorman said. “Based on our recent success, we’re expecting another strong showing.”