The cheers at Princeton's Weaver Track and Field Stadium on Friday were so loud that the excitement and liveliness could be heard from Frist Campus Center. While bystanders may have assumed the track and field team was having a party, the team was actually competing at one of the few invitationals in which the men's and women's teams race side by side.
Princeton hosted the Larry Ellis Invitational this weekend, challenging a number of the Northeast's strongest opponents at the Tigers' home track. In addition to giving a home-track advantage, the excitement of the coed meet motivated numerous athletes to achieve personal records.
"[The] Larry Ellis Invitational is a great meet because it gives us a chance to run a competitive race at home before Heps comes to Princeton in two weeks," junior Liz Bergold said. "It is a good indicator of where we are halfway through the season and what we need to improve on for Heps."
The invitational saw many of the Tigers' league competitors, including Penn and Columbia, as well as regional competitors like Georgetown. The athletes had the opportunity to not only practice racing on Princeton's home track for the upcoming Heps, but also to race against the fastest competition, one of the best ways to improve.
"A lot of very competitive teams come and compete both in the distances races on Friday night and during the day on Saturday," Bergold said. "They've all got a lot of depth and some really great runners in the 800 m and the 1,500 m, in particular. Princeton this weekend did great against our rivals, and everyone really stepped up to the strong, competitive fields."
The men's sprint team featured several outstanding performances. The men's 4x100 relay opened the meet, finishing second to Penn by only .03 seconds. The Tigers returned to dominate the individual 400 m, however senior Brian Shields claimed the 400 m title, crossing the line at 48.17 seconds. Sophomore Matt Brock followed closely to finish second at 48.72, and freshman Brian Li-A-Ping came in fourth at 48.80 seconds. Li-A-Ping and Brock later joined sophomore Ian Thomson and senior Rich Stewart to win the 4x400 relay by nearly three seconds.
Sophomore Shafiq Kashmiri claimed second in both the 100 m and 200 m to Rider's David Payne, two highly contested races. In the 100 m, Kashmiri lost by .05 seconds, whereas in the 200 m, Kashmiri lost by .01 seconds. Fellow teammate freshman Jeff Carbonella interrupted the two events with a win in the 800 m, by nearly a second.
The men had equally strong performances in the field, led by freshman Eric Plummer, who had an NCAA regional qualifying toss in the shot put at 56 feet, four inches. The Tigers also claimed the top collegiate finishes in the hammer throw, triple jump and high jump.
While the athletes won several first places over the other schools, they are still concentrating on improving their times.
"I think at this point in the season, it's important how we compete against other schools, but it's not our main concern," junior Brian Shields said. "It's more important that we put up the best times and marks that we possibly can so we have a lot of confidence going into league championships."
The women also had a handful of standout performances. Sophomore star Agatha Offorjebe returned this weekend to win the 100 m again, running a 12.31 — faster than any other athlete by nearly .2 seconds. Bergold also claimed a win for the Tigers, placing first in the 800 m by finishing the two-lap race at 2:12.12.
With only a few weeks left before Heps, the athletes are buckling down to achieve their best performances, hoping to catch the coach's eye and earn a chance to compete at the league championships. Next weekend, the athletes will have opportunities to have standout performances while competing in relays.
"We will probably be taking three or four relays down," Bergold said. "The meet is always so exciting. The stadium is full and there is a lot of energy, and all of the best teams in the country come up to compete there."
The famed annual Penn Relays provide a great opportunity for the athletes to compete against some of the best teams in the country. Both teams will travel together to Philadelphia next week to represent the Tigers at this prestigious invitational.
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