The women's track and field team took second out of nine teams at the University of Connecticut Invitational on Saturday. Although consistent rain throughout the day made for difficult conditions, the Bears still managed to take winning spots in the shot put, pole vault and javelin. They also earned three scoring spots in both the 800 meters and pole vault competitions.
Saturday was the Bears' first loss to UConn this outdoor season, after two wins in two weeks over the Huskies. However, several regular scorers weren't competing in their usual events on Saturday, so the loss was not entirely surprising. "We have beaten UConn twice already, but this time we lost to them by 64 points," said runner Kelly Powell '06. "We just weren't competing at full strength."
In the running events, several athletes put forth noteworthy efforts despite the unfortunate weather. They spent most of the day on the indoor track, dashing outside just long enough to race their event and then run back inside. Head Coach Robert Johnson explained the effects of the weather on his athletes. "Being inside, you adjust to the temperature, but then your body goes into shock when it hits those elements," he said.
Alex Brown '08 made an impressive debut with her fourth-place finish in the 5,000 meters. "I was pleased with the results because this was my first attempt at the 5k and the conditions weren't ideal," Brown said. "I think I did well, all things considered."
Cheryl Scott '07 finished second in the 400 meters at 57.72 seconds. Her time was "phenomenal," Johnson said. "She was determined from start to finish."
Scott was also pleased with her race.
"I've been coming off a disappointing freshman year due to injuries, so it felt amazing to run well, even if it was in a torrential downpour," she said.
Julie Komosinski '05 and Anna Willard '06 faced the same problem during the 800 meters when the rain started pouring. "The water was ankle-deep for a good portion of the race," Willard said. The two still ran well, claiming first and second place with times of 2:14 and 2:17.
"It might have been easier for us to swim rather than run," Komosinski added.
Akilah King '08 set a personal best of 25.33 in the 200 meters. Johnson said this was especially remarkable because her seed time was not fast enough to qualify her for the top heat.
"She did it from the inside lane of the slower section," she said. "She couldn't race the winner but her time was good enough for second."
The throwers spent the entire meet outside in the rain but put forth great competitive efforts regardless, with wins from co-captain Jill Lynch '05 in the shot put and Laura Dudek '07 in the javelin. Lynch threw 42 feet, 8 3/4 inches in the shot put, then took third in the discus with a 126-10 effort. Sarah Groothuis '08 placed just in front of her with a second place throw of 127 feet in the event.
By moving to the indoor track, rainy weather could not affect the outstanding pole vault performances. Janea Russ '06 and Tiffany Chang '08 placed first and third, respectively. They each jumped heights of 12 feet, qualifying for outdoor ECACs. Jumps Coach Anne Rothenberg was expecting these kinds of results from her athletes. "We talked about this being the week when things would start to come together," she said. "They finally started to see the results we had been waiting for after competing on tired legs all season."
Ashley Wall '05 placed second in the high jump with a height of 5-5, followed by fourth-place Erin Meschter '06 with a 5-3 effort. Wall then jumped 18-7 in the long jump for third place. Dominique Bosa-Edwards '05 came in fourth in the triple jump with a leap of 38-5 1/2 . "It's the best she's been this season," Rothenberg said.
Next weekend the team will divide itself between two competitions. A small squad will travel to the Penn Relays in Philadelphia while the rest of the team remains in Providence to host the Brown Springtime Invitational on May 1. The athletes traveling to Penn will compete against top Division I competition and have to handle the rigors of having a strong meet just one week before Heptagonals. The timing differs each year, but next weekend most of the distance squad will not compete at Penn because its events cannot be raced well twice in two weeks.
Distance Coach Rick Wemple said those remaining in Providence next weekend are "either getting in a final tune-up before Heps or competing in their last meet of the season."
