While many were off skiing, hitting the beach, or just resting and recharging through more mundane means, the Princeton men's and women's track teams were hard at work training and competing in its 31st annual Indoor Relays meet held Jan. 25. and at the Penn State National Open meet in University Park, Pa., held Jan. 31-Feb.1.
The Princeton Relays
The Princeton Relays, held the Saturday after examinations, saw more than 600 athletes from ten schools visit Princeton's Jadwin Gymnasium to compete in an event hosted by the Tigers for more than three decades.
Princeton's men finished first in a number of events. Its 4X800 relay topped the competition with a time of 7:44.41 while the distance medley relay took first with a time of 10:08.23. Junior Rocky Craley recorded an indoor personal record of 17 meters to capture the shot put title, while freshman Kyle Whitaker finished tied for first with Rutger's Lloyd Nolan in the pole vault, with both clearing 4.70 m.
Junior Josh McCaughey finished second in the weight throw, recording a mark of 19.43m, finishing just behind Thomas Freeman of Manhattan, who took the event with a first-place throw of 21.44m.
For the women, junior Betsy Kennedy stole the spotlight with an indoor personal record of 15.42m in the weight throw, earning her a second-place finish in the Princeton Relays.
The Tigers finished strong in the 3,000m, placing one, two, and three. Sophomore Carrie Strickland took first place with a time of 2:17.47, with freshman Jordan Wagenseller placing second, 10 seconds behind Strickland, and junior Liz Morse finishing third with a time of 2:19.78.
Additionally, junior Hasina Outtz took the top spot in the 60m hurdles with a time of 9.05, while her teammate, sophomore Jen Byrd, finished just behind Outtz with a time of 9:15. Junior Susan Coltman triumped in the women's high jump, clearing 1.65m.
Penn State's National Open
The fast, hydraulic banked track and competition from the likes of Georgetown, Villanova and Duke helped the Princeton men record some impressive marks at the Penn State National Open, which began on the final day of January.
Senior Mike Baird led the charge with his 8:02.39 time in the 3000m. Just shy of the 7:57 mark necessary to qualify automatically for nationals, Baird is currently ranked seventh in the nation. Should he need to post a faster time, the ease and margin of his victory at Penn State suggests he should have little difficulty running faster against stronger competition. Baird is currently ranked first in the Ivy League, though defending Ivy League champion Tom McCardle of Dartmouth has yet to open his season. The 4x800-meter relay team made up of senior David Dean, junior Rob Hulick, classmate Josh Kauke and sophomore Alexis Tingan was second this weekend with a mark of 7:35.66.
In the mile, senior cross country captain Jonathan Bell finished second with a time of 4:07.43. Junior Jonathan Kieliszak placed sixth, recording a 4:10.14 performance.
Senior captain Cameron Atkinson was fourth in the finals of the 60 meters with a time of 6.89 seconds, missing the NCAA provisional qualifying time by .17 seconds. In the 60-meter hurdles Adrian Mullings missed the provisional mark by .03 seconds with a third-place time of 7.98 seconds.
Junior All-American Josh Mc-Caughey rounded out the top finishers for the men's team with a 64 foot, 7 inch mark in the weight throw. He finished second and achieved provisional qualifying status.
The men's team returns to Penn State this Saturday to take on the Nittany Lions and Uconn, two strong all-around teams, in a scored meet.
For the women, several Tigers also performed well. Sophomore Brooke Minor placed third in the high jump with a registered jump of 5-6. In addition, freshman Alison Brawner also did well in that particular event, tying for thirteenth with a jump of 5-2.25. Minor has been on a tear recently, and looks to be getting even better.
Furthermore, the distance medley relay came in eighth. Consisting of freshmen Meredith Lambert, Laura Landry, Jordan Wagenseller and Cack Ferrell, the team was .33 seconds behind seventh place Virginia, which finished with a time of 11:55.56.
Junior Pilar Marin, running the mile, finished eighth with a time of 4:59.91, which was a personal record for Marin and the first time she has ever broken five minutes.
Sophomore Chanel Lattimer sported three top-fifty finishes, in the 60 meters (8.00 seconds, thirty-seventh place), the 200 meters (26.04, forty-first place) and the 400 meters (59.74, forty-third place). With versatility and talent, Lattimer should be one of the team's brightest stars within a few years.
Princeton hopes to continue its run into the Heptagonal Championships, the seasonal battle between the Ivy league members and Navy, that will determine the season champion. Princeton placed third in last year's bout.
The Tigers will compete against Penn State and Penn next week at Princeton.
Read More
Preview: No. 3 men’s lacrosse plays No. 5 Syracuse in NCAA quarterfinals
Hayk YengibaryanShould the Tigers beat the Orange, they will advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2022 as they look to win their first national championship since 2001.
Should the Tigers beat the Orange, they will advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2022 as they look to win their first national championship since 2001.
Six for six: men’s and women’s track and field both complete triple crown
Luke StocklessMen’s and women’s track and field each won the Ivy League title this past weekend, capping off a dominant season in which both teams won the triple crown — a feat not seen in 14 years.
Men’s and women’s track and field each won the Ivy League title this past weekend, capping off a dominant season in which both teams won the triple crown — a feat not seen in 14 years.
Nation’s No. 2 miler Mena Scatchard ’25 to transfer to Stanford for graduate year
Luke StocklessThe Tigers’ most decorated distance runner ever has decided to use her final year of eligibility at Stanford after graduating from Princeton this May.
The Tigers’ most decorated distance runner ever has decided to use her final year of eligibility at Stanford after graduating from Princeton this May.