Tiger track and field athletes excel on East and West Coast

Bendtsen, Udland Shine at Stanford Invitational

The men’s track and field team took some of its brightest talent out west for the Stanford Invitational, and the Tigers did not disappoint in the Golden State. Seniors Chris Bendtsen and Tyler Udland highlighted Princeton’s performance, as the two distance runners surpassed the school record in the 10K with times of 28:49.08 and 28:57.25, respectively. Those times rank sixth and ninth all-time in the Ivy League, and surpass the 25-year record of 28:58.90 set by Joe LeMay ’89 at the 1989 Penn Relays. Senior Alejandro Arroyo Yamin was not far behind in the 10K, clocking a 29:19.09. Outside of the 10K, junior Eddie Owens slipped under nine minutes in the steeplechase with a time of 8:59.26, and senior Michael Williams finished the first section of the 1500 meter race with a 3:45.55. Sophomore Sam Pons rounded out the men’s strong performance out west with a 14:21.48 in the 5K.

Eddie Owens is an associate sports editor for The Daily Princetonian.

Hopkins Leads Men to Strong Showing at Sam Howell Invite

In its first day of 2014 competition at Weaver Stadium, the men’s track and field team began Day 1 of the Sam Howell Invitational in strong fashion. Senior Jake Taylor threw for eighth place in the hammer throw with a distance of 53.93 meters. Sophomore Bryan Oslin followed with a clearance of 4.35 meters in the pole vault, good for fourth place in the event. Freshman William Paulson stood out the 1500 elite race, as his time of 3:49.51 was only two hundredths of a second behind the winner. Junior Matt McDonald and sophomore Michael Sublette concluded the Tigers’ Friday showing with a 6-7 finish in the 10,000-meter run.

On Saturday, the Tigers picked up where they left off, recording strong performances that included five Princeton victories for the day. The 4x100 relay of sophomores Dre Nelson and John Hill, junior Daniel McCord and senior Tom Hopkins won the event with a time of 41.63. Hopkins was one of only two long jumpers to jump beyond seven meters, as he took the event with a distance of 7.34 meters. Junior Bradley Paternostro stole the show in the 1500, clocking a 3:53.41 to top the field of 45 competitors. Senior Damon McLean dominated the triple jump with a jump of 15.62 meters, making him the only competitor to clear 15 meters. Princeton assistant coach Justin Frick ’10, who continues to compete as an unattached athlete, won the high jump handily, clearing just over seven feet with a jump of 2.14 meters.

Ratcliffe, McMullin Lead Women at Home

Freshman Megan Curham got things going for the women’s side on Day 1 of the Sam Howell Invite, as she cruised to a 16:30.06 in the women’s 5,000-meter run. Her time was more than 20 seconds ahead of the rest of the field. Freshman Lizzie Bird placed seventh in the 1500 elite race with a time of 4:29.07, and sophomore Brielle Rowe threw 38.88 meters for a top-10 finish in the discus.

Sophomore Julia Ratcliffe stole the show on Saturday, as she highlighted the Tigers’ Day 2 performances with a distance of 68.71 meters in the hammer throw. The mark is not only Ratcliffe’s best throw this season, but also the best throw in the NCAA thus far in 2014. After throwing 66.31 meters at Monmouth University last weekend, Ratcliffe has made it the second straight weekend in which she has set the NCAA season mark in the hammer throw. Saturday’s throw landed just under four inches short of her personal best.

Sophomore Meghan McMullin led the Tigers on the track, as she recorded a time of 1:00.97 to place second in the 400 hurdles. She was also the first leg of the 4x400 relay that placed second in a field of 21, as she, juniors Emily Broyles and Kim Mackay and senior Kristin Smoot clocked in at 3:50.33. Mackay also recorded a 2:13.66, good for the day’s top collegiate time in the 800-meter run.

Other team members recorded strong performances over the first weekend of April competition, as senior Beth McKenna and sophomore Kerry Krause placed fourth and seventh, respectively, in the 100-meter hurdles. Freshman Allison Harris and senior Samantha Anderson both cleared 11 feet to place third and seventh, respectively, in the pole vault. Sophomore Taylor Morgan and Inka Busack went 5-6 as both cleared 1.60 meters in the high jump, while sophomore Sara Ronde placed fifth in the long jump with a leap of 5.38 meters.