The men’s and women’s track and field teams spent part of their weekends in Boston competing in separate meets a few blocks apart.
The men saw four more runners qualify for the IC4As at Saturday’s Terrier Invitational at Boston University. The meet was not scored, but the contest did provide an opportunity for the Bulldogs to face off against some of the Northeast’s top collegiate competition in front of a big crowd, and get back in gear for the heart of the spring season.
“The Terrier Invite is more of an individual meet than a team meet because we aren’t competing solely against Ivy League foes,” sprinter Dave Soiles ’10 said. “We’re competing to get fast times, so we can be better situated for the bigger team meets down the line. We came in with an angry attitude and a ferocious mindset.
Soiles delivered one of the top performances for the Yale sprinters, finishing sixth overall in the 500-meter dash, barely missing qualifying for the IC4As by less than three-tenths of a second. Marty Evans ’11 qualified with standout runs in both the 400-meter and 200-meter dashes, winning his heat in the 400. Fellow Eli Matt Bieszard ’12 also won his heat in the 400, placing 15th overall.
“Track typically isn’t a glamor sport, so it was fun for us to go run impressive times at a premier meet with lots of fans and nationally ranked competition,” Soiles said. “Our performances matched our excitement.”
Bieszard and Evans joined Remi Ray ’10 and Ted Galligan ’10 to take 11th overall in the 4×400 meter relay.
The distance runners matched the performances of the sprinters, led by Chris Labosky ’10, who took fourth overall in the 800-meter run. Kevin Brown ’10 also took fourth in his event, the 1,000-meter run, while Max Walden ’11 and Alex Harris ’10 both qualified in the 5,000-meter run.
The women, competing in the Reebok Boston Indoor Games at Northeastern’s Reggie Lewis Center, the home of the ECAC Championships. The Bulldogs finished sixth out of the 17 schools competing, despite having to run late into the night, finishing the meet around 10:30 p.m.
Like the men, the women’s team had a more individual approach to the meet.
“The team was mostly focusing on individual performances rather than overall team place,” Lisa Vienneau ’10 said. “People were competing in races that were not necessarily their strongest.”
All-American Kate Grace ’11 led the way for the Bulldogs, winning the mile in 4:56.34. Nihal Kayali ’13 took fifth overall , following up a strong performance in last weekend’s meet.
Adele Jackson-Gibson ’13 also had a big day for Yale, taking second overall in the 55-meter dash and fifth in the 200-meter. Fellow freshman Allison Rue ’13 took sixth in the 400-meter, while classmate Caitlin Hudson ’13 continued the big day for the freshmen.
An unfortunate accident in the 800-meter cost Claudia Duncan ’10 and Annalies Gamble ’13 a potential strong finish, as Gamble tripped midway through the race, taking down Duncan behind her and ending the duo’s bid for a high-scoring performance for the Bulldogs.
Both the men and women will be back in action this weekend, as they compete in the Giegengack Inviational at Yale’s Coxe Cage. They will be joined in the cage by some of the top schools from around the Northeast, making this weekend the second straight weekend that Yale will face off against the premier runners on the East Coast.