Despite playing it safe this past weekend and reserving the top athletes for the approaching state meet the Track & Field team took home three Liberty League awards and captured four first places. “Both teams had strong showings given the conditions and competition…For the most part this weekend was used as a recovery weekend after the League Championships last weekend to help prepare the team to have a strong showing at the State Championship in two weeks” explained junior captain Carol Scalice.
The men’s team finished fourth of seven and the women finished third of six at the Division I Holy Cross Invite. The success of this week, however, won’t be judged until the meet this Saturday at the Harkness Track & Field when the men defend their state title and attempt a five-peat.
Saving their runners for the upcoming competition, nearly all of the honors were handed out to the field events.
Moving up to 11th in the nation, Liberty League Track Performer of the week senior Lance Chase won the Hammer Throw with a distance of 54.37 meters, a full five meters ahead of second place. Chase also had a strong showing in the shot put where he was barely edged out of first.
For the women, senior Felicia Tsai was awarded the Liberty League Field Performer of the week when she again improved on her NCAA qualifying time and school record with a throw of 53.33 meters. She has still won the hammer throw in every meet this season.
The lone track winner this week was Liberty League Track Performer of the week junior Jen Dias, she took first in her first 400-meter run of the season. Although the Holy Cross Invite wasn’t as successful as Liberty League Championships when she won four events, she hopefully was preparing for the state meet.
Junior Sue Madden helped the throwers out with a 58.86 meter throw in the shot put for the win. On the men’s side, junior captain Jeremy Burnham was on the board in the hammer throw, shot put, and discus. While freshman Jake Pyzza finished top eight in the hammer throw and shot put.
Although the pole vault event was won Holy Cross’s Conor Meikle, RPI dominated the leader board taking five of the top seven finishes. Leading the way, freshman, Justin Metzger and Jason Legault made 4.1 meters, followed by Freshmen Chris Gonyo and Sam Acevedo at 3.8 and 3.5 respectively. Sean Eosefow, sophomore, rounded it out with a height of 3.2 meters.
For the runners who did make it to the meet, senior captain Matt Haringa had a PR in the steeplechase, as well as sophomore Geoff Williams in the 5000 meter run.
At this weekend’s RPI invite, “the throwers and distance runners will be racing in a 4x100 meter relay. It should be interesting” Haringa says.
This Saturday’s meet will be the last home meet of the year for the Engineers. Rensselaer will attempt to defend their outdoor state championship crown the following weekend, May 5, at St. Lawrence in Canton, N.Y. RPI has won four-straight New York State titles.
