Seniors Chris Johnson and Timothy Phelps of the men’s track team ventured to sunny California to compete at the Stanford Invitational last Friday, March 29. Both athletes hoped to qualify amongst the top 48 athletes from Division I colleges East of the Mississippi, in order to be eligible to compete at the NCAA East Regional Championships later this spring.

Phelps, perhaps channeling the aquatic speedster of the same name, ran the 5K, finishing with a personal record time of 14:55.11. He beat his old personal best by 15 seconds. Phelps started the race off slowly – his first half-mile was slower than a 4:40 mile pace. However, he soon kicked up his intensity, quickening to a 4:30 mile pace halfway through the race. Phelps’s new personal record makes him the fifth fastest Colgate student to run the outdoor 5k.

Johnson ran the 10K and placed 12th out of 44 runners, with a time of 29:37.80. This is a new personal best, beating his old record by a substantial 27 seconds. This time earns him the title of fastest runner in the Patriot League and 16th best east of the Mississippi. Johnson receives further accolades as one of only two Colgate athletes to ever break the coveted 30-minute barrier.

This time also guarantees Johnson a spot in the NCAA East Regional Championship in Greensboro, S.C. on May 24. If he finishes in one of the top 12 spots, he will then travel to Eugene, Ore. for the NCAA Championships early June.

The entire men’s team will return to

action April 13 in an invitational against Army.

Meanwhile, the women’s team

enjoyed their first outdoor meet of the season at the Lafayette Invitational. The women finished seventh overall, earning a total of 32 points. Despite this lackluster result, the team was very pleased with knock out performances from sophomore Alicia Minella and first-year Olivia Brackett.

Minella led the Raiders and the Patriot with the fastest outdoor 200 meters in the league thus far this season. Her time of 24.76 seconds earned her first place. It was only .02 off her best time in the 200, set on April 20, 2012. Brackett broke Colgate’s record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 11:29.69. This huge success is even more impressive considering Saturday was the first time she had run the race. Minella broke the previous school record of 11:45.60 and won second place.

First-years Catherine Carpenter and Holland Reynolds also ran impressively. Carpenter competed in the 200 meters, placing 10th overall with a time of 26.04. This is a new personal record for her and the ninth best time in the Colgate record books. Carpenter also ran the 100 meters, earning a time of 12.88, another personal best. Reynolds ran the daunting 3,000-meter in 10:35.89. She finished in seventh place and earned the seventh place record in Colgate

track history.

Next Saturday April 6, the women’s team travels to Storrs, Conn., to

compete in the UConn Invitational.

Contact Belle Stepien at

[email protected].