W. track looks to outdoor season after strong showing at Duke

Princeton hosted the Sam Howell Invitational last weekend and sent a contingent of athletes to Duke for the Duke Invitational. Though the season has barely started, the Tigers are looking to eclipse their performances of the last several years with one of the best team showings in recent memory.

Finishing a surprising third in Indoor Heptagonals, Princeton has moved into the outdoor season with a great deal of confidence. For the past several years the team has under-performed, due to injury and a lack of focus. Now, it all seems to be coming together.

"We've been down in the bottom half of the teams [in the Ivy League] for the last few years," said senior Lauren Simmons. "But I think we made a big step forward with our confidence, knowing that we can and should be placing better."

Simmons herself has been a big part of the Tigers' success, turning in a spectacular 2:05.23 time at Duke that was two-tenths of a second shy of automatically qualifying her for the NCAA championship meet. Simmons has been running well all year, and looks to better her already sufficient time as the season rolls onward.

Out of the other athletes who traveled to Duke, both sophomore Hasina Outtz and Emily Eynan qualified for ECACs, adding yet another facet to a positive weekend. Freshman Brooke Minor also did well, jumping 5'7.75" to place second in the high jump.

Another of the reasons for Princeton's change of fortune has been a strong group of freshman athletes, including Minor, Chanel Lattimer, and Leslie Warren. In the 200m dash this past weekend at Princeton, Warren took first in her heat with a time of 25.99. Warren also did well in the 400m hurdles, taking home another first place finish in 59.10. Freshman Carrie Strickland placed fifth in her heat in the event with a time of 1:10.79.

"We're really excited about the season," said sophomore thrower Betsy Kennedy. "Especially after Indoor Heps, things have come together really well. We've got great freshman, and everyone's managed to stay healthy."

Kennedy placed fifth last weekend in the discus, with a throw of 37.55 feet. Junior Rachel Rosemyer took fourth place, throwing 37.60 feet.

The Tigers also ran well in the 800m event. In the first heat, senior Natalie Deffenbaugh took first with a time of 2:17.54, and freshman Caitlin Tormey finished fifth, running a 2:21.50 time. Also, junior Christine Iserman placed third in the second heat with a 2:20.29 time, and junior Debbie Jacobson finished fourth in the fourth heat at 4:32.53.

Princeton also had a victory in the 100m hurdles, as sophomore Susan Coltman won the race in 14:60. Other top Tiger finishers include freshman Shannon Smith's third-place finish in her heat in the 100m dash in 13.82, and junior Sarah Rivlin's second-place finish in the 3000m with a time of 10:31.64. Freshman Kristina Maletz also ran the 3000m, and placed seventh with a time of 11:00.81.

In the 1500m, sophomore Christina Roberto took fifth in the first heat with a time of 4:39.42. Sophomore Kate Reid finished second in the second heat with a time of 4:49.95, and freshman Marien Bihrle placed fifth, coming in at 4:56.47, also in the second heat.

With such strong showings already, Princeton has a lot to look forward to. No one is injured, and the team is showing the confidence and focus needed to achieve their current goal: a victory in Outdoor Heps over a tough Cornell squad.

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"All last year we were getting there," said Simmons. "but it's all got to come together, you've got to do your best. This spring I feel we're going to reach that goal."