Both the women’s and men’s track and field teams performed well this past weekend in the first of only two home meets on their schedule. Up against teams from SUNY-Oswego, Springfield, and Westfield State, both Engineer squads took first place in their competitions.
The women set two new school records in defeating second-place Springfield by 19 points. Freshman Rebecca Lock won the 400-meter hurdles with a record time of 1:06.3, and senior Melissa Coppola’s 12.27-meter distance in the shot put was also good for first place and a new Institute mark.
Other winners for the Engineers were Allison Benson, whose 3.23-meter vault provisionally qualified her for national competition, Michelle Fisher in the 400, Katie Roder in the 5000, Laura Rogers in the triple jump, Kate Worden in the discus, and the 4x400 relay team of Cara O’Toole, Kate Adams, Fisher, and Lock. Lock was named the UCAA’s Female Track Athlete of the Week for her performance, which included a second-place finish in the 100-meter hurdles as well.
The men’s team barely edged out Springfield to take first place, beating the Pride by just two points. Jeff Banks provided the day’s best performance for the Engineers—his 4.63-meter mark in the pole vault was good enough to earn an NCAA provisional qualification. Senior Tim Kachur provided a pair of wins in the 100- and 200-meter dashes to help spur the Engineer victory, and Mike Johnson was named the UCAA Male Field Athlete of the Week for his third-place toss in the shot put and fourth-place mark in the hammer throw.
RPI also got individual wins from Joe Otto in the 800, Doug Dukes in the 1500, Justin Jablonowski in the steeplechase, Derek McGough in the long jump, Dwane Sterling in the triple jump, and James Motzkin in the javelin.
Next up for Rensselaer is the annual Engineers’ Cup outdoor meet on April 6 against WPI and MIT. The women’s squad will compete in Cambridge, while the men will travel to Worcester.
