Men’s track and field seeks to defend title at Outdoor Heptagonal

Arguably the most anticipated meet of the season, the Ivy League Outdoor Heptagonal will return to Princeton this weekend. After winning the title last year — and four of the last five such titles — the men’s track and field team will seek to fend off its Ivy League foes yet again this Saturday and Sunday.

The two-day event will begin on Saturday morning at Princeton’s Weaver Track.

Looking at the competition, Princeton will likely encounter the stiffest challenge against Cornell, whose team has shone in the past few years. Just last year, the Tigers only narrowly threw off the Big Red to claim the title.

Starting with the sprints, Princeton’s greatest competition resides in the 100m, behind star sophomore Carrington Akosa. The second-ranked Tiger is closely sandwiched between two Cornell sprinters in this season’s standings for the event. A victory from Akosa would further fuel the rivalry between Princeton and Cornell.

Competition in the sprints will continue into the relays with the 4x100m. This season, Cornell, Princeton and Brown have all run sub-41 second relays. The three will vie for the top spot on Sunday.

Similarly, junior Ray Mennin ranks second in the 400m with his 47.03 finish at the Florida Relays. Mennin will attempt to take down top-ranked 400m sprinter Marc-Andre Alexandre of Yale.

Rounding out the short distance events will be the 400m hurdles. On the Princeton side, junior Greg Leeper and sophomore Spencer Long have been phenomenal for the Tigers this season. The two will face heavy competition from Cornell and Dartmouth.

Turning to the distance races, Princeton features a double punch in the duo of sophomore Garrett O’Toole and sophomore Noah Kauppila. Both performed in stellar fashion at the Larry Ellis Invitational two weeks ago. Both runners will seek to run under 3:40.15, the best Ivy League time of the season.

Moving to the high jump, junior Xavier Bledsoe will have the chance to complete a phenomenal season. Bledsoe jumped just half an inch under seven feet at The College of New Jersey Invitational last weekend, priming himself for a title run at Heps.

Perhaps the most dominant event of the weekend for the Tiger will be the pole vault. Senior Adam Bragg and sophomore August Kiles lead all Ivy League pole vaulters this season. In fact, Bragg is the only vaulter in the league to have eclipsed 5.50 meters this season. The southern California native is on track to defend last year’s title and impress at his last Outdoor Heps.

Finally, Princeton will likely receive large point totals in the shot put behind junior Chris Cook and sophomore Mitchel Charles. The two lead all other throwers by nearly half a meter.