Track and Field Competes in ‘Cuse Invitational

Both track and field teams faced tough competition last Saturday when they participated in the Syracuse Invitational. Though the Raiders did not dominate like they did last week at the Class of ’32 Invitational, their performances in Syracuse were nothing to overlook. Several athletes posted record numbers, like senior Thomas Dilworth, who secured a spot in the IC4A Championship for the 500-meter dash with a first-place time of 1:04.97. On the women’s end of the competition, sophomore Sarah Chabal broke the Colgate record for the triple jump by posting a distance of 11.33 meters.

“We were pretty happy with the meet,” women’s Head Coach Laura Nardelli said. “It accomplished what we wanted, and it was a good challenge.”

Besides Dilworth’s victory in the 500-meter dash, sophomore Lyle Tolli grabbed the second men’s win on the day in the 5,000-meter run. Tolli, who set a school record in the 1,000-meter run in the Class of ’32 Invitational, won this race with a time of 14:54.89. He not only broke his previous personal-best time, but his mark is also fifth-best in Raiders’ history. First-year Dan Gleason also had a big day. He took second place in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 8:46.43, beating his previous best time by 20 seconds.

The women’s team nabbed eleven top-five finishes last weekend. Chabal, who took second place for her record triple jump, also finished fourth in the high jump.

“She’s always fit and she’s always strong,” Nardelli said. “She’s in sixth in the Patriot League, but it’s not a long way from sixth to first when you’re jumping like that.”

First-year Stacey Marion was the women’s only winner in Syracuse. She beat her closest competitor by a margin of five seconds in order to take first in the 3,000-meter run.

“Five seconds is probably 20 to 30 meters,” Coach Nardelli said. “There was never anyone by her side.”

Marion’s time of 10:09.03 gives her the honor of having the third-best time in Colgate history. First-year Michele Miller took second place in the 500-meter dash and fourth place in the 200-meter dash earlier in the day.

The women’s team will compete in the St. Valentine’s Invitational in Boston on Friday and a day later, the men will travel to Boston University.