CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - The men's track team tallied 50 points to take sixth at the Heptagonal Championships this weekend, as Cornell captured the team crown. The result was a disappointment for the Bears, who had hoped to break into the top three of the Ivy League, but the highly physical nature of the weekend took its toll on some of Brown's top performers. The aggressive tone allowed others to step up to the challenge, however, as several Bears had surprise, standout performances.
The men's 3,000-meter run Saturday night saw the Bears garner their first points of the weekend. Going into the meet, co-captain Patrick Tarpy '05 looked to be a favorite for the individual title in the event. To the Bears' dismay, he was the first casualty of the unforgiving weekend, as a battle for position in a large pack resulted in Tarpy losing his shoe and ultimately a chance to take the win.
Because Ivy League rules prohibit athletes from competing the remainder of the weekend once they have dropped out of an event, Tarpy was forced to finish the race with one shoe in hopes of coming back the next day in the mile finals. However, the injuries he sustained prevented him from scoring in that race as well.
Owen Washburn '06 stepped up to fill the gap in the 3,000 with a breakthrough race. As Washburn became aware of Tarpy's situation, the race began to break. Washburn took charge, picking up the pace and kicking in for a final time of 8:17.18, good for third overall. Washburn, who came into the meet ranked sixth in the event, scored for the first time at Heps.
"I felt great during the race," Washburn said. "While it went through my mind then that I really needed to (step up), it had been a goal all along to place as high as possible for the team."
Sunday kicked off with another highlight for the Bears, as Ray Bobrownicki '06 took to the infield to defend his indoor high jump title. The weekend's intensity continued as Bobrownicki entered a duel with Dartmouth's Brian McCarthy when both cleared 6-11 1/2. At the next height, the crowd fell silent before each attempt as the men sought to take the win. Both men had near-successful jumps at the height. McCarthy missed his final attempt, and Bobrownicki was declared the winner because he missed only one attempt in the entire competition. It was a relief for Bobrownicki, who had a frustrating season leading up to the Ivy League Championships.
"He spent the last three weeks mentally focusing and physically focusing," said Jumps Coach Anne Rothenberg. "He pushed heights in practice to be prepared for this. He went in more confident than his competitors."
Rothenberg also noted that only three other conferences in the nation saw such tight competition, with sixth place at 6-10 or higher. Bobrownicki tied his indoor personal best with the clearance, and it is the second time in a row he has set his season best at the Championships.
"I'm glad things came together at the right time," Bobrownicki said.
Another jumper put points on the board for Brown, as Ikenna Achilihu '08 took fourth in his first Heptagonal games. He hit 49-3 in the triple jump, just shy of his personal best.
"It was wild," Achilhu said. "There was so much energy, and it was an eye-opening experience to see how deep the competition was."
Back on the track, a pair of sprinters brought vital points to the Bears' total. Mike Pruzinsky '07 and Dallas Dissmore '06 returned to the lineup after injury-plagued seasons. Pruzinsky captured fourth place in the 400-meter dash in 48.74, despite being pushed from behind in the beginning of the second lap. Dissmore turned it on in the final stretch of the 500-meter run, passing three men in the final lap to clock 1:04.19 to take third.
Heading into the relays, the distance medley squad saw a near-complete change in lineup. Washburn continued to star for the Bears, as he took Tarpy's place as the anchor leg.
"I knew from the beginning of the day it was a possibility that I would need to run it," Washburn said. "What reassured me is that (Distance Coach) John (Gregorek) has never had me do something that he wasn't confident I could do. So when he told me I could anchor the relay, I trusted him."
Jordan Kinley '06 led off, and disaster nearly struck when Cornell's runner was pushed and hit the floor, nearly taking Kinley with him. Kinley was barely able to keep his balance by jumping over the fallen athlete. He assumed position near the front of the race, which was maintained by Elridge Gilbert '05 and Eamon Quick '07. During the other legs of the relay, Washburn took on the responsibility of rallying the Brown supporters, running around the track, encouraging the crowd to cheer with him.
"It was hard because there is a certain momentum to track meets," Washburn said. "Because things weren't working out in the other distance races, I knew I would need some help." Though it was his first relay in three years, he came from behind to overtake the leaders and take control of the emotional race in the final laps to split 4:10 for the mile, as Bruno won with a time of 10:02.66.
Feeding off the energy from the distance medley, the 4x400-meter team turned in a surprise third-place finish as Dissmore, Pruzinsky, Will Bernitsky '08 and Christian Tabib '07 crossed in 3:18.52.
"We saw men rise to the occasion, and we also saw the agony of defeat with things beyond anyone's control," Rothenberg said.
Some men will see tough competition again next weekend as they head into the IC4A Championships. For others, the Heptagonals marked the end of the indoor season.
"It's time to go back to work and focus on the outdoor season," Rothenberg said.
