Men's and Women's track enjoy success at Princeton Invitational

This weekend, the women and men’s track and field team hosted rival schools at the annual Princeton Invitational in Jadwin Gym. This event marked the last competition for the Tigers before heading into the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships next weekend.

However, if this weekend was any indication, the Orange and Black seem in excellent form to face their Ivy rivals near the end of this month. On the men’s side, the Tigers picked up nine wins in the 13 events they entered.

Three Princeton sprinters qualified for the finals of the 60m dash. Freshman Charles Volker led the effort with a winning time of 6.80. Sophomore Carrington Akosa won third and junior Brent Albertson followed him in fifth. The Tigers’ performance was equally impressive in the 60m hurdles, where the team managed to go 1-2-3. Senior Greg Caldwell spearheaded the effort with at time of 8.03. Indeed, Princeton seemed to get impressive efforts from each event, boding well for the team’s chances at the championships next weekend.

The women’s squad picked up four first-place wins. These wins came from freshman Jackie Berardo in the 500, senior Cecilia Barowski in the 800, freshman Ellie Randolph in the 60 hurdles, and junior Allison Harris in the pole vault. The Princeton squad had a particularly impressive showing in the 500, where, in addition to claiming the win, the Tigers also took the second, third and fourth place as well. The Tigers also managed to claim three of the top five spots in the long jump.

While both squads had impressive performances, the Ivy Heptagonal Championships next weekend will undoubtedly bring a new level of competition with them. Princeton will have to face all its Ivy rivals away from home in Ithaca for a crucial finale to Ivy League Play.

The men’s team will look to reproduce last year’s success by bringing home another Ivy League title. Princeton claimed last year’s title in dominant fashion, being the only team in triple digits, and it was also the first Ivy Championship claimed by the Tigers since 2012. Another win this year would also mean that Princeton has claimed either the first or second spot in the Ivies for the last 24 years consecutively.

On the other hand, the women’s team will try and improve on last year’s third-place showing. Though Princeton managed to claim an early lead in the tournament, the Crimson and the Lions overtook them in later days of competition to take the second and third spots, respectively.

However, regardless of the outcome, fans of Princeton track and field can be sure that this year will bring yet another series of exciting match-ups as we near the end of another thrilling season.