The men’s and women’s track teams started off their indoor seasons on the right foot.
The Bulldogs posted quality performances last Saturday at the Husky Winter Carnival, hosted by Northeastern University at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston.
Kevin Alexander ’06 took first place in the 200-meter dash, earning a time of 22.30. Alexander also finished second in the 400-meter dash with a time of 49.23.
Brandon Giles ’08, who finished a fraction of a second behind Alexander in the race, broke the Yale freshman record for the 200-meter dash.
In addition, the Bulldogs earned the top three spots in the 1,000-meter run. Reed Mauser ’05 finished first, earning a time of 2:30.70. He was followed by Mark Falco ’06 in second with a time of 2:31.54, and Taylor Matthews ’07 in third with a time of 2:33.04.
Other first place finishes for the Eli men included Victor Cheng ’08 in the 55-meter dash and Chris Smitson ’08 in the 800-meter run.
Cheng, who also placed eighth in the 200-meter dash, said he was pleased with his performance at his first college meet.
“I’m proud of the 55 placing,” Cheng said. “It’s nice to start the season with a win, although I still have a lot to work on.”
Jihad Beauchman ’06 took first in the triple jump with a distance of 14.74, setting a meet record in the event.
The Bulldogs also took first place in the men’s 4 x 400 relay. The winning relay team consisted of Alexander, Beauchman, Mike Brown ’06 and Rob DeLaski ’06.
Beauchman said the strong season opening was a result of an increase in motivation among team members.
“I think the improved performance by the team directly correlates with the increased work ethic of everyone at practice,” he said. “Everyone’s training a lot harder this year.”
The Eli women also had success at Saturday’s meet, posting two wins and several other top finishes.
In the 500-meter run, Jessica Pall ’07 earned first place with a time of 1:17.44, followed by captain Katrina Svoboda ’05 in second with a time of 1:18.53.
Pall, who also placed ninth in the 200-meter dash, said she was particularly proud of Svoboda’s performance at the meet.
“Our captain, Katrina Svoboda — did an amazing job,” Pall said. “She was out all year injured, but she came back so strong.”
Vanessa Mazandi ’05 finished first in the 800-meter run, earning a time of 2:15.09.
Other notable finishes came in pole vault and shot put. Molly Lederman ’06 took second place in pole vault with a 12-foot clearance, while Margo Angelopoulos ’07 earned fourth place in shot put with a throw of 11.93 meters, respectively.
The Bulldogs also posted the second-fastest time in the women’s 4 x 400 relay, 3:59.98.
“To see our team perform consistently well across the board was extremely encouraging,” Mazandi said. “It does give everyone that extra boost of energy going into the break so they can keep training hard by themselves for the three weeks that we’re at home.”
Mazandi is a columnist for the Yale Daily News.