This past weekend the men’s and women’s track and field teams went back into action when they traveled to Ithaca to take part in the Cornell Upstate Challenge. The meet was dominated by host Cornell and Buffalo. Both Colgate teams placed fourth out of six at the meet, but experienced notable success in several events.

The women’s team scored 29 team points at Cornell, and did particularly well in the long-distance events. The team did not get points in the 400-meter dash, with junior Michelle Miller finishing one place away from getting points with a time of 1:02.93. In the 500-meter dash, senior Ashley Niness scored four points for the team, finishing with a time of 1:18.78. In the one-mile run, Colgate placed two runners in the top-10. Sophomore Chelsea Burns placed third in the event, scoring six points for the team, and crossing the finish line with a time of 5:09.14. Sophomore Kendall Lyons placed ninth in the event with a final time of 5:13.68.

In the 3000-meter run, the Raiders placed three runners in the top-10. Sophomore Emma Eckerstrom (7th place), first-year Caroline Prins (8th), and junior Colleen Daly (10th) finished with times of 10:46.32, 10:50.28, and 10:53.18, respectively. Sophomore Kelly Cattano took first place in the women’s 5000-meter event, finishing with a time of 18:10.50, scoring ten team points for Colgate. It was Cattano’s personal best in the 5000 meter run, and the second-best time in the Patriot League this season.

In the 4×800 meter relay, first-years Ellen Callahan, Jean Sauter, and Amy Sleeper, as well as sophomore Alexandra Atkinson placed second for Colgate. The Raiders’ ‘A’ team crossed the finish line in 9:48.52, and scored eight points for the team. Senior Lauren Abuouf also continued her success this season in the throwing events. Abuouf tallied an 11.13-meter toss in the shot put, good enough for seventh place, but one place shy of scoring any team points. In the weight throw, Abuouf had a 14.07-meter toss, good enough for sixth place and one team point. Colgate finished behind host Cornell, Buffalo and Syracuse.

The men’s team scored 45 points at the meet, finishing behind Cornell, Buffalo, and Ithaca. In the 500-meter dash, sophomore Graham Tooker and junior Gus Hobbs scored two points and one point for Colgate, respectively. Tooker finished in fifth place with a final time of 1:06.66, and Hobbs finished sixth with a time of 1:08.13. Three men scored a total of 13 points for Colgate in the one-mile run. Juniors Ed Boulat and Ed Sheridan finished with times of 4:23.93 (2nd place) and 4:26.67 (4th), and sophomore Timothy Metivier crossed the line at 4:34.57 (6th).

In the 800-meter run, first-year Jason Hodge placed sixth in the event, finishing at 2:03.44. In the 1000-meter run Colgate scored seven points. Senior Jeremy Fisher (2:34.46), and juniors Andrew Smith (2:38.07) and Eric Sause (2:38.53) placed fourth, fifth and sixth in the event. Two runners scored points for the team in the 3000-meter run, with junior Dan Gleason finishing in second place with a final time of 8:44.39, and first-year Chris Johnson finxishing in 8:50.13. In the 4×800 meter relay, Colgate’s ‘A’ team consisting of Sheridan, Smith, Fisher and Metivier finished in second place, crossing the line in 8:03.87. Dan Gleason, Edouard Boulat and Ed Sheridanall had personal records at the meet. Gleason’s came in the 3000 meter run, while Boulat and Sheridanall had their personal bests in the one-mile.

When asked how the team will prepared for its next meet, Men’s Track and Field Head Coach Art McKinnon said the team will “work on improving strength through volume of miles run and the appropriate intensity for an athlete’s prime event.”

Both squads will be back in action when Colgate hosts the Class of ’32 Invitational on January 30.