End of season for some as women's track hosts ECACs

While the women's outdoor track team has already made it through one of its seasonal markers — the Heptagonal Championships — it is still inexorably making its way towards its second: NCAA Regional Qualifying meet. However, before the Tigers reach that milestone, six members of the team will be competing at the Eastern College Athletic Conference Championship meet this weekend at Weaver Track and Field Stadium.

In the grand scheme of things, this meet does not hold much sway over Princeton's season. But the Tigers will be facing schools up and down the East Coast from as far south as Duke, approximately half of which will race Princeton again at NCAA Regionals.

"It is a good preview for Regionals," junior Emily Kroshus said. "It's a good meet because we have schools coming from all over the East Coast to compete on our home track and it's a good chance to post a fast time heading into Regionals."

For many of the Tigers racing this weekend, it is the end of their seasons. In fact, only six team members who take to the track this weekend will suit up in the Orange and Black again this season: Kroshus in the 5k, junior Laura Petrillo in the steeplechase, sophomore Carrie Strickland and freshman Cack Farrell in the 1500-meter, junior Hasina Outtz in 400m hurdles and sophomore Meredith Lambert, who placed fourth at Heps in the 5k, in 3k.

For these Princeton runners, this meet allows them the opportunity to get in another round of training in practice before Regionals, which are to be held May 30-31 at George Mason University in Virginia. If the Tigers are successful there, they will advance to the NCAA National Championship meet on June 13-14 in Sacramento, Calif.

Yet for a different group of runners, this will mark the end of the 2003 outdoor season. Two notables among this group are junior Pilar Marin and sophomore Maggie Moore.

While Marin was All-American in high school, her arrival at Princeton met with disaster. For the past two seasons, she had been riddled with injuries. This season marked her first complete season with the Tigers.

"She is an excellent competitor," teammate Kroshus said. "I'm really excited to see her finally race to her potential."

Marin will compete this weekend in the 3k, which is her normal race. She posted her personal record earlier this season with a time of nine minutes, 49 seconds. Since there is no 3k race at Nationals, Marin will not have the opportunity to compete with her teammates at NCAAs. With the last chance to race in her junior year, Marin will certainly try to best that record.

Moore, on the other hand, will compete this weekend in the 10k. The sophomore's story is certainly different from many of the Princeton track stars. She spent most of her freshman year training for and running in marathons, until classmate Marian Bihrle convinced her that she should give cross country and track a try.

Moore joined the cross country team at the beginning of the 2002 season and slowly made her way up through the ranks. She debuted with the outdoor track team this season as well and seems to have found her home with the 10k. Although she has run that particular race only once before (posting a time of 37:11), it is certainly her strongest race.

"Her background in marathon training has really helped her," Kroshus, also a 10k runner, said. "[Head coach] Peter [Farrell] has worked with her on her speed, and her performances have been the indicative of her improvement."

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While some of the team members rest this weekend, many Tigers including Marin and Moore will be out trying for personal bests in front of the home crowd. The meet starts Friday evening and runs through Sunday.