Track & Field: Cabral wins 3,000m steeplechase, McCullough takes second in hammer throw at Penn Relays

The men’s and women’s track and field teams had strong showings this weekend at the Penn Relays, which hosts 17,000 athletes and more than 50,000 spectators annually and is the largest, oldest and most prestigious relay meet in the world. With events both on the track and in the field, the Penn Relays attracts the nation’s best runners and throwers at the high school, collegiate and professional levels. This weekend, Princeton showed it fits in well at the top.

“Penn Relays is a wonderful opportunity to send some of our athletes to one of the most historic meets in the nation ... and it’s a great opportunity to run against the best teams in the country,” junior captain Mike Eddy said.

Princeton proved more than ready for the task.

Thursday was a day of firsts for sophomore Donn Cabral, who opened the weekend for Princeton on a winning note as he took first place in the 3,000m championship steeplechase in his Penn Relays debut.

Senior Brian Li-A-Ping, freshman Russell Dinkins, sophomore Austin Hollimon and Eddy outraced Ivy League opponent Penn by two seconds on Friday to finish first in the 4x400m Heptagonal relay. This race gave Princeton a taste of the other Ivy League talents in the 4x400m. While the win was encouraging, Eddy acknowledged that there is still work to be done.

“Competitively running with high caliber opponents always helps boost our confidence,” Eddy said. “However, the other Ivy 4x400 [teams] have tremendous talent, so I’m not taking anything for granted going into Heps.”

Princeton also finished fifth in the 4xMile and sixth in the 4x800m relays.

The men saw similar success on the field, with freshman Conor McCullough taking second in the championship hammer throw and junior Justin Frick tying for fifth in the championship high jump. Sophomore David Slovenski placed sixth in the Eastern pole vault, and senior Joel Karacozoff surpassed his previous personal best in the college discus by 5 inches.

On the women’s side, good performances bode well for the team’s readiness for the Ivy League Heptagonal Championship meet ahead. The relay team of junior Ashley Higginson, junior Sarah Cummings, freshman Alexis Mikaelian and freshman Mel Newbery set a school record in the 4x1,500m relay, good enough for an eighth-place finish in the event. Princeton’s 4x400m relay team also finished sixth. Newbery is also a staff writer for The Daily Princetonian.

Cummings explained the importance of relay competition leading up to Heps.

“Since Heps is such a team effort, running a relay is definitely a good way to get excited and motivated for it … and to help unify the team,” Cummings said.

On the field, junior Thanithia Billings became the second thrower in Princeton history to clear the 15-meter mark in the shot put when she won the women’s college event on Thursday.

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“Such a big win at Penn Relays against some great throwers makes me feel that I am going to compete well and have a chance at winning the shot put championship [at Heps] for the first time,” she said.

Junior Emma Ruggiero placed fourth in the championship hammer throw, while junior KC Wade finished in a 13-way tie for first place in the Eastern high jump and freshman Tory Worthen finished fifth in the pole vault championship. Worthen is also a staff writer for the ‘Prince,’ and Wade is a former staff writer.

The Tigers host the Elite Meet next weekend, their final tune-up before the Ivy League Outdoor Heptagonal Championships in two weeks.