The women's track and field team traveled to the Armory Track in New York City this weekend to face the toughest competition the Ivy League had to offer at the Indoor Heptagonal Championships. The Bears turned in a big performance in the Big Apple, placing second behind Cornell, a perennial powerhouse that has won six straight team titles.
Cornell scored 159 points this weekend versus 71 for the Bears, who narrowly beat out the University of Pennsylvania for the runner-up spot.
"Every point in these meets counts," said Director of Track and Field Craig Lake. "It came down to three points in the women's meet, as we beat UPenn for second place by just three points. You have to dig to get each and every point ... and our team did just that."
Though they fell short of the team championship podium, the Bears did not go down quietly. They scored in the top six in nine events and brought home two Ivy League titles.
"The atmosphere at Heps is unbeatable," Lake said. "It is insanely intense, extremely high energy and high pressure. It is definitely exciting, and the nerves are high. It is the pinnacle of the season."
Sprinter Thelma Breezeatl '10 shined in her Heps debut, as she can now officially introduce herself as the fastest women in the Ivy League after taking the 60-meter dash title. She captured first-place points with a time of 7.58 and set a new meet record.
"I was definitely not intimidated by the environment, but I never go into a race knowing its mine," Breezeatl said. "I go in wanting it to be mine."
The finish in the race was so close that Breezeatl and the squad had to wait until the results were posted find out whether or not she had accomplished her goal. When her name showed up in first place, the team erupted.
"To see Thelma win as a freshman was incredible," Lake said. "She is a terrific athlete and a great competitor. We knew when we got her to come to Brown she would make an immediate impact, and we were not let down."
In the 200-meter dash, Breezeatl joined forces with Akilah King '08 to provide Brown with some more points en route to securing fourth and fifth place respectively, with times of 25.09 and 25.10.
"Akilah King did a phenomenal job," Lake said. "She is an incredible leader and role model for our team. You would never have known she had (mononucleosis). She never questioned herself and never doubted for a moment. She is tough as nails and what every coach would dream to have on his or her team."
Another team member who took a starring turn this weekend was Nicole Burns '09, who burned past the competition in the 400-meter dash and won the Ivy League title with a time of 54.28. Seeded first entering the finals, Burns posted a time that put her second on Brown's All-Time Indoor Top 10 Performance list. King closely tailed her teammate to finish with a bronze in the event, putting up a time of 56.27.
"It was a huge blessing to see my hard work pay off in the end," said Burns. "My attitude was no excuses, just results. I was nervous about my events, but then I realized I wasn't a rookie anymore, and I needed to just get out of the blocks and claim it ... My win in the 400 m proved to the other Ivies that Brown is not playing. We are the underdog team, and we are ready to rise to the top."
Dianna Anderson '09 also contributed to the effort, providing a point by clocking in sixth in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.11 seconds.
Another big performance came from Naja Ferjan '07. She scored third in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:08.77. Ferjan's time tied the current indoor school record set by Mary Hale '02.
In the field events, Brown shone in the shot put as it has all season. Teammates Danielle Grunloh '10 and Jenna Silver '10 placed third and sixth respectively to lock down some much-needed points for the Bears.
"The coaches just tried to keep us focused and remind us how important every point is," King said. "The team that does the little things, like diving over the finish line and jumping those extra centimeters, is going to be the one to prevail."
In the relays the Bears took the coaching staff's words to heart. The 4x400 team notched a second-place finish with Burns, King, Cheryl Scott '07 and Jasmine Chukwueke '10 each running a leg. Their time of 3:44.65 puts them second on Brown's All-Time list.
The 4x800 also put up an impressive time. Ferjan, Brooke Giuffre '10, Kat D'Auria '09 and Hannah Nichols '08 combined for a fifth-place finish with a time of 9:03.65.
"I could not be more pleased with our team's finishes this weekend," Lake said. "We came through and attained our goal of doing better than last year, despite graduating three All-Americans (Kelly Powell '06, Anna Willard '06 and Brittany Grovey '06)."
While many of the Bears took to the indoor track for the last time this season, Brown will send a small contingent to Boston for the ECAC Championships starting Saturday. Those who don't compete will be gearing up for the fast-approaching outdoor track and field season, but Lake said the team's 2007 performance was a good stepping stone for next year's indoor Heps.
"Cornell graduates at least 76 points that we counted, not including their relays that have seniors on them," said Lake. "This could open the door to the women contending with them for the title next year. We only graduate six points. We are really young and up-and-coming and want to contend for the title year in and year out."
