As the winter weather settles in, the focus of the track and field program shifts from the cross country course to the indoor track. The men's team comes into the 2005 season looking to step up from its fourth-place finish at last year's Heptagonal Championships and will do so under the leadership of returning athletes and with the help of some talented new faces.
"We're looking to finish in the top three," said Head Coach Robert Johnson. "It's a matter of staying injury-free. Right now we're training hard."
On the infield, Ray Bobrownicki '06 comes back as a top competitor in the high jump. He boasts a personal best of 7-1/4 in the event, has two individual titles under his belt and ranks sixth on Brown's indoor all-time top 10. At last year's indoor championships, Bobrownicki out-jumped the rest of the Ivy League by well over two inches, and he enters this season as a favorite to defend his title.
"We'll look to (Bobrownicki) for his experience, especially as a two-time champion," said jumps coach Anne Rothenberg.
In addition to Bobrownicki, Rothenberg's squad returns the formidable pole vault duo of Mike Murray '06 and Grant Bowen '07. They are tied for fourth on Brown's indoor top 10 in the event, and the two scored at last year's Heps.
Rothenberg also anticipates Ikenna Achilihu '08 making an immediate impact on the team scoring. Achilihu was a Louisiana high school state champion in the triple jump and also a standout basketball player.
Pulling its weight in the field events will be coach Michelle Eisenreich's throw squad. Co-captain Jake Golenor '06, who is 10th on Brown's all-time list for the shot put, will lead the charge, as a returning Heps scorer in his event. Golenor will partner with newcomer Jayme DeDona '08. Kent Walls '06 also has the experience necessary to contend for points in his indoor specialty, the weight throw, Eisenreich said.
A wide range of events on the track also return men capable of taking individual Ivy titles for the Bears. Distance coach John Gregorek will field a deep and talented squad, as foreshadowed by the harriers' successful fall season.
Fresh off their impressive cross country campaigns, Jeff Gaudette '05 and co-captain Patrick Tarpy '05 will look to take top honors in events ranging from the mile to the 5,000 meter run. Gaudette holds the school record in the 5,000-meter run (14:09) and took fourth in the event at last year's Heps. He is also ranked sixth on Brown's top 10 in the 3,000-meter event.
"We can add to Jeff and Pat the guys we have coming back healthy," said Gregorek. "We have guys with a lot of leg speed like Eamon Quick ('07) and Jordan Kinley ('06)."
Kinley will be a threat in the shorter distance events after scoring at last year's Heptagonals in the 1,000 meter run. Joining Quick and Kinley on the middle distance squad will be Ari Zamir '08, who holds a personal best of 4:15 in the mile, and Mike Piche '05, whom Gregorek anticipates having a breakthrough season after "ending his cross country season on such a high note."
Johnson's sprints and relays will be headlined by Mike Pruzinsky '07 and Dallas Dissmore '05.
Dissmore returns as 2004's most improved runner and as a Heps scorer in the 500-meter run indoors. He also holds the third-fastest time ever for Brown in the event. Pruzinsky looks to move up to the 200 and 400-meter runs after competing successfully in the shorter dashes as a first-year.
Johnson also brings back three members of his fourth-place 4x400 relay squad, a team that raced to the sixth-fastest time in Brown history: Pruzinsky, Dissmore and Christian Tabib '07.
"We have talented freshmen who can step up, like Will Bernitsky and Luke Renick," Johnson said. "Also, El Gilbert ('05) has stepped up when the relay has needed him throughout his career."
The Bears will open their season on home turf at the Olney-Margolies Athletic Center this Saturday, when Brown hosts the Alden Invitational.
"We're getting it started," Johnson said. "We'll see some competition and see what adjustments we need to make as we head into the winter recess meets. It's good to have the younger ones get on the track early and see what they do with the competition at this level. But we're really gearing to running fast in late February."
