With the season drawing ever-closer to its finale at Heps, the women's track team has begun its last push to finish preparing for the all-important championship meet. The women's outdoor track team returned last weekend from competing at the Lafayette Invitational. A non-scoring event, the Invitational provided many Tigers with one last low-stress opportunity to compete before the season's crucial end.
Several Tigers, including senior co-captains Lauren Simmons and Catherine Casey and sophomore Emily Kroshus, did not attend the invitational, choosing instead to continue training for next weekend's important Penn Relays. Princeton's distance runners spent the weekend training as well. As a result, the longest race in which the Tigers competed this weekend was the 1500 meter.
And compete they did. Princeton placed three runners in the 1500m, with freshman Marian Bihrle finishing third in four minutes, 39 seconds, Holly Huffman finishing sixth in 4:45 and sophomore Kate Reid placing seventh a second later.
Sophomore Chelo Canino cleared 11 feet, 6 inches in the pole vault to win first place, and sophomore Betsy Kennedy took fourth in the hammer throw with a mark of 43.42m.
In addition, freshman Chanel Lattimer placed fourth in the 400m with a time of 58.51, and Leslie Warren took fourth in the 200m with a time of 26.40.
Heps is only a few weeks away, and Princeton looks to continue the success they have had in the indoor season by carrying that momentum into a strong Heps performance.
"We lost to Penn last week," said Bihrle, "but we really could have won. Susan Coltman, our pentathlete, who usually scores 20 points, wasn't there. So we're definitely covered for Heps."
Unlike past years when the team was threatening only at certain positions, this season's Tiger squad is both talented and versatile, able to contend in all events. Though standouts such as Casey and Simmons will be counted upon to continue their success, many others on the team have shown the ability to contend when it counts.
"Catherine and Lauren are really the best role models," said Bihrle. "They're always very positive, and they never skip practices or workouts. They really bring the whole team along."
The Tigers' main opponents at Heps will be Cornell, which has an excellent track team this year, and Harvard, which relies mainly on the strengths of certain members to score highly for the team. Penn, who beat Princeton last week, will also be a threat.
Princeton's primary goal at this point is, of course, to prepare for Heps, but a secondary goal is to qualify as many athletes as possible for the post-season meets, namely the IC4As and NCAAs.
"These next few meets are really important," said Bihrle. "Roberto, Emily Kroshus and I are really close, and a lot of people can make it with good times [next week]."
Given the track team's success thus far, it's difficult not to buy into its optimism.
Princeton competes next weekend at the Penn Relays, starting on Thursday, April 25.
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