The Rensselaer men’s and women’s indoor track and field squads made their presence felt this weekend at the Liberty League Championships in Clinton, NY.
The men, led by senior captain Trevor Tersmette, dominated the four-team field en route to 202 total points and the league crown for the sixth time in the nine-year history of the championship meet. The women also enjoyed success, tallying 125 team points and edging the host Continentals for second place.
Tersmette paced the men with a huge performance. The senior finished first in the long jump, tied for first in the 55-meter hurdles, and added a second in the high jump. Tersmette’s second place finish in the high jump was part of an RPI 1-2 sweep in the event, as fellow Engineer Okechuku Ekwuabu took first.
For his efforts, Tersmette was named Liberty League Field Performer of the Week. Also posting wins for the Engineers were the sophomore quartet of Corey McCormack, Carl Hartford, Brandon O’Toole, and Kemar Brown.
McCormack won the weight throw, Hartford landed a victory in the triple jump, O’Toole succeeded in the pole vault, and Brown led the field in the 55-meter dash. Senior Joe Otto also got in on the act, placing first in the 800-meter run.
The men also swept the relay events, coming in first in the 4x200, the 4x400, and distance medley relay. With a time of 1:35.60, the 4x200 squad set a new Scott Field House record.
Freshman Ben Nagler aided the DMR and 4x400 relay teams to wins on his way to being named Co-Rookie of the Week by Liberty League officials.
For the women, their second place finish was fueled by three second-year athletes. Sophomores Jen Dias, Sue Madden, and Carol Scalice accounted for four wins and a second place finish for Rensselaer.
Dias continued her superb season with wins in the 200-meter and 400-meter dashes. The Liberty League recognized Dias as the Co-Track Performer of the Week for the third time this year.
Madden topped the leader board in the shot put. Scalice maintained her season-long rule over the long jump with a win in the event. She also came in second in the 55-meter dash.
Senior captains Alysia Evanitsky and Rebecca Lock also contributed to the effort. Evanitsky came in second behind Dias in the 400-meter dash. Lock placed first in the 55-meter hurdles and third in the long jump.
Freshman Marion Albert, with a second place finish in the 200-meter dash and a third place finish in the 55-meter dash, was awarded Rookie of the Week honors for the second consecutive week. The women also earned a team victory in the 4x400 relay.
Both men’s and women’s teams are back in action on Saturday, February 19, when they head to Cornell University for the Deneault Invitational.
