Tigers strong in field events at Invite

Almost 10 months after the men's and women's indoor track teams were narrowly defeated at the Ivy League championships, Princeton finally has reason to celebrate again. Amidst a hectic atmosphere in Jadwin Gym, the men's and women's teams each captured three first-place finishes and seven top-three finishes Friday evening at the New Year Invitational — the first meet of the season. The Tigers posted an impressive showing considering that the teams were without their Ivy champion cross-country runners, who are still on hiatus.

Though the meet was just a warm-up for the Ivy League season, which begins after winter break, the Tigers used the opportunity to show off freshman talent and an improved core of upperclassmen.

"It's a chance to get on the board before they go on break, and it gets them motivated when they come back," women's head coach Peter Farrell said.

The women's team appears noticeably more balanced than last year's team, which was plagued by weakness in the sprint and field events. The squad lost several key seniors from 2006, including Laura Landry, Cack Ferrell and Annie Santi. Of Princeton's 24 female athletes on Friday, none were seniors.

The depth of the women's sprinting squad was perhaps the biggest surprise of the day. Three Tigers finished in the top six in the 300 meter dash. Sophomore Agatha Offorjebe, who also finished fifth in the 60m dash, placed second with a time of 40.75 seconds, about four-hundredths of a second short of her personal best. Sophomore Karen Okigbo and junior Leanne Bellar took fifth and sixth, respectively.

In the mid-distance events, Princeton boasts a small but fast group of runners. In the 1000m, Junior Liz Bergold led for almost all of the race and crossed the finish line first in 2:58.95.

"I was really relaxed, and I was able to run my own race. That made me much more confident," Bergold said.

Bergold's roommate, junior Karen Aherne, placed second in 3:00.70.

The Tigers dominated the field events, winning two of them. Sophomore Jessica Kloss, the 2006 Ivy pole vault champ, easily outmatched her competition, vaulting five inches above her nearest competitor. Junior Marta Pardo won the triple jump, edging Monmouth's Brittany Gibbs by only one centimeter. In the weight throw, junior Emma Harper and freshman Christine Vidmar placed third and fourth.

Men Poised for Title Run

The men's team also looked sharp, mirroring the women's consistent performance in the long-awaited competition. Last year, the Tigers finished second overall in the league championship after carrying a lead into the last day of competition. But if their performance Friday is any indication of their prospects at a title, then head coach Fred Samara has reason to be confident.

"I have very high hopes for the season. The team has had super enthusiasm and spirit this fall and early winter" Samara said.

The men's sprinters exceeded expectations at the meet. Senior Richard Stewart placed fourth in the 300m dash (35.50) and sophomore Ian Thomson was seventh. The sprinters got a chance to showcase their depth in what was perhaps the most dramatic race of the night — the 4x400 relay. Sophomore Matt Brock gave Princeton an early lead, but over the next half-mile that lead gradually evaporated. Monmouth appeared to be consolidating its lead until the anchor leg, when Stewart grinded past the Hawks' Christopher Vuono for the win in 3:24.95.

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The Tigers put on a clinic in the pole vault, where Princeton captured four of the top six spots. Senior Andrew Park was first at 15'7", and junior Will Byrd was second, vaulting 15'1".

Junior Alex Willis jumped to a personal record of 2.09m in the high jump, winning the event with ease, while junior Nathan Crumpton finished fourth in the long jump. Freshman shot-putter Eric Plummer was third in his first ever collegiate meet.

The invitational featured teams from New Jersey and the Philadelphia area. Monmouth, Temple, Rutgers, Rider, St. Joseph's, Adelphi and TCNJ were all in attendance. The overall scores of the teams were not calculated.