Tigers win dual meet at Navy

Going into the final race of Saturday's men's track and field dual meet against the Naval Academy, the Princeton still trailed by one point. It was up to the 4x800 meter relay squad to defeat the Midshipmen and capture the Tigers' second win of the season.

Princeton was losing with less than a mile remaining in the two-mile event, but the visitors regained the lead in the third leg. Freshman anchor Ben White solidified the Tigers' lead, pulling away from Navy's Ben Kozy in the final 200 meters to finish two seconds ahead of the Midshipmen in a time of seven minutes, 58.9 seconds.

Though Navy took 10 out of 17 first place finishes, Princeton's victory in the 4x800m relay and the strong performances from senior sprinter Brian Shields, freshman high jumper Justin Frick and senior pole vaulter Andrew Park ensured a 91-90 triumph over their IC4A rivals at Halsey Field House in Annapolis, Md. The win was the Tigers' third consecutive victory against Navy in an annual series between the two schools that dates back to 1958.

"I think the team performed really well," head coach Fred Samara said. "I was really pleased with the spirit and enthusiasm of the team, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the season."

Princeton was without most of its long-distance runners, who were still recovering from their Ivy League title-winning fall season. But the sprinters posted strong marks, and the Tigers dominated Navy in the field events.

Shields won the 200m dash in a time of 22.50, three tenths of a second ahead of freshman Andrew Usoro, and placed second in the 400m dash. Junior sprinter Richard Stewart crossed the finish line first in the 500m (1:05.50). Princeton also performed well in the 55m hurdles, as sophomores Chris Vasich and Duane Hynes finished first and second, respectively. Navy standout and Patriot League Track Athlete of the Week Paul Harris cruised to a three-second victory in the 800m dash, clocking in at 1:53.50, before leading the Midshipmen to a win in the 4x400m relay, just 0.20 seconds ahead of the Tigers.

In the distance events, Princeton held its own despite the absence of much of the squad. White took third for the Tigers in the mile, and Princeton captured three of the top four places in the 1,000m.

Samara acknowledged that while the 4x800m relay team secured the win, the Tigers' strength in the field events was what made their victory possible. Princeton swept the weight throw as sophomore Alex Pessala hurled 18.63m for first place. Senior Matt McNamera was second with 16.14m and freshman Eric Plummer, who also claimed second place in the shot put, tossed the weight 15.61m for third. Junior Nick Crumpton was second in the triple jump and third in the long jump, while freshman Scott Henkelman took third in the triple jump and second in the long jump. Crumpton is also a photographer for The Daily Princetonian.

Park vaulted to a height of 4.90m, well above his competition's marks. Frick earned another five points for the Tigers with his impressive 2.09m high jump, with junior Alex Willis right behind at 2.00m.

With less than two months left before Heptagonals — the Ivy League championships — Princeton looks poised to challenge defending champion Cornell after the Big Red edged out the Orange and Black at last February's event. But to accomplish that, Princeton must demonstrate its depth and balance after losing several key athletes from last year's strong squad.

The Tigers travel to New York City on Friday for the Armory Invitational, their third meet of the season and their biggest test yet.