Track & Field: Slovenski sets meet, freshman records at New Year Invitational

“This was probably the best first meet of the year that I can remember,” men’s head coach Fred Samara said.

The men’s team saw strong performances from several athletes, with six individuals claiming first place in their respective events. The star of the meet was freshman David Slovenski, whose pole vault of 5.00 meters set a freshman and meet record. Slovenski and fellow freshman Derek Hynes took first and second in the pole vault, respectively.

The throws belonged to Princeton as well, with the Tigers sweeping the top three spots in the weight throw. Senior Alex Pessala won the event with a toss of 19.58 meters, while sophomore Craig Pearce and junior Joel Karacozoff took the next two spots. Junior Eric Plummer won the shot put by a wide margin with a throw of 17.71 meters.

Juniors Justin Frick and Ian Fox took control of the high jump. Frick’s jump of 2.15 meters — though not his personal best — was still good enough for first place and a provisional qualifying mark for the NCAA championships. Fox tied for the second-highest jump of the competition but finished third in a tiebreaker decided by the number of missed jumps.

On the track, Princeton dominated the mile. Junior Ben White ran away with the event in four minutes, 18.39 seconds, with sophomore teammate Kyle Soloff coming in three seconds later to claim second. Sophomore Tony Salvatore took third in the 1,000-meter race.

The sprinters also represented Princeton well. They claimed half of the top six spots in each of the shorter distances. Senior Ian Thomson and junior Brian Li-A-Ping took second and third in the 300-meter race. Freshman Kashif Smith was the fastest man on the track, winning the 60-meter dash in 6.88 seconds, just missing Princeton’s individual record.

“Even though I have been running for 12 years, college track feels different,” Smith said. “This meet served as a learning experience.”

The early-season experience was especially helpful for the women’s team, which featured several first-time performers. A freshman pole-vaulter was also the star on the women’s side, as Lydia Arias won the event with a jump of 3.65 meters. Senior Jessica Kloss was second with the same height, and freshman Bianca Reo completed a 1-2-3 sweep for Princeton.

Juniors Liz Stevens and Aundeah Kearney took care of business in the jumps. Stevens was second in the high jump, and Kearney was third in the long jump. Sophomore Emma Ruggiero took second in the weight throw with a toss of 14.98 meters.

The Tigers’ performances in the relays were especially encouraging. Senior Melissa Swigert and freshmen Sarah Houtmann, Eileen Moran and Danielle Glaeser won the women’s 4x400m relay in 3:58.98. They were the only team in the meet to break four minutes, averaging fewer than 60 seconds per athlete. The team beat in-state rival Rutgers, the second-place team, by nearly three seconds.

The women’s sprinters also ran well in their individual events. Moran was second in the 60-meter dash, .01 behind the winner. Glaeser was third in the 300, and Swigert finished second in the 600-meter race.

Princeton’s strong showing on both sides was especially impressive considering that the varsity cross-country athletes were held out of the meet. The distance runners are recovering from a grueling season in which both the men’s and women’s teams won the Ivy League championship.

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After winter break, training will resume for the athletes on Jan. 4, when the indoor season really kicks off. The addition of the distance runners should put the men’s and women’s indoor squads among the favorites to win the Ivy League indoor title.