Sophomore Michele Miller and senior Curry Knox each broke school records for the Colgate women’s track team at the Lafayetter/Rider Invitational last Friday. Knox set the record in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.81, which is currently the best time recorded in the Patriot League this season. Miller ran the 400-meter hurdles in 57.52 to break the previous 400-meter record that she set at the same meet last year.

“I am glad that I will be remembered for my hard work and great effort out on the track for many years to come,” Miller said of her school record. “I’ve been running since my freshman year in high school, and the collegiate-level coaching is what I needed to reach this level.”

Senior captain Ashley Mecone, junior Ashley Niness, first-year Chelsea Burns, senior captain Jessica Kielty and sophomore Julie Tarallo all set personal records on Friday. Kielty and Tarallo finished fourth and fifth in the 5,000-meter run with times of 18:17.45 and 18:22.74.

“The training has gotten us into the kind of shape that has allowed us to perform the way we have,” Miller said. “Coach [Laura] Nardelli and Coach Russ [Peterson] have been coaching for some time now, and they know what they are doing.”

Competing at the Boston University Valentine’s Day Classic, the men’s track team had another fast day in its preparation for the Patriot League Championships. Senior Mike Walden and first-year Graham Tooker ran personal-best times of 49.84 and 49.89 in the 400-meter dash. Sophomores Dan Schwaibold and Andy Smith also impressed after clocking times of 1:05.11 and 1:05:20 in the 500-meter dash. The 500-meter runners have now qualified to compete in the IC4A Championships, and all four men are on the Colgate Record Board following their runs.

The 4×400 team of Walden, Schwaibold, Smith and Tooker had a solid run and now rank in the top-three in the Patriot League this year. The men’s middle distance team was without ailing sophomore Dan Gleason, who owns the school record in the mile. Sophomore captain Ed Boulat was healthy, and his time of 2:29.88 in the 1000-meter run ranks him in the top-10 in the Patriot League this year. because of his performance, he will also compete at the IC4A’s.

Both teams are peaking at the right time, as the Patriot League Championships go from February 20 to 22 in Annapolis, Maryland. Like the men’s team, the women’s team has high aspirations for this year’s Championships.

“I think we are going to turn heads,” Miller said. “I think that there will be much more to talk about concerning the women’s track team next week at this time. I think we will break some more records and take home some titles.”