The Middlebury Campus

Issue date: 5/1/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Andrew Ngeow David Wood '08 pulls through his final rotation before unleashing the discus Saturday, April 26 at Hamilton. Wood placed 14th in the event as the Panther men took seventh overall. [Click to enlarge]

This past Saturday, the Middlebury College track and field teams competed in the 2008 NESCAC Championships at Hamilton College. The men had a good showing and came in seventh overall, while the women, who for a while had held the lead in the 10-school meet, finished just half-a-point behind the second-place Tufts University, with an overall team score of 119.50. Four Panthers captured championship victories, and many others set personal records.

Men's co-captain Jimmy Butcher '08 notched an early win in the 10,000m with a time of 32:06.55. Butcher's co-captain, Ian O'Reilly '08, later gutted out a tough home stretch to finish eighth in the 800m.

"Our captains are all terrific leaders," said Coach Martin Beatty, "and the character of the team reflects their leadership."

On the other hand, the Middlebury men are a relatively young team and the first-years form its backbone. These rookies rose to the occasion and turned in stellar performances. Javelin thrower Nicholas Plugis '11 grabbed third place with an incredible toss that improved his personal record by close to 15 feet. Abishek Sripad '11 became one of Middlebury's two top-five finishers in the pole vault, placing third, just ahead of Patrick Sedney '08 in fourth. The 4×400 meter relay team comprised of Sean Maye '11, Joseph Baisch '11, Micah Wood '10 and Ben Fowler '09 also finished fourth.

The same combination of star power and young blood helped to fuel the women's team. Senior Jennifer Currie threw the hammer 159'10" deep down the field to win the NESCAC title, and Nicole Dvorak '11 and Sarah Wilson '08 claimed first and second places in the pole vault. Looking to match their achievements, Kelley Coughlan '09 and Elizabeth Faust '11 performed incredibly in the high jump, finishing second and fourth, respectively. The duo also placed fourth and fifth in the triple jump. The Middlebury women's strength in the field events was so dominating that the team temporarily pulled ahead of eventual champion Williams College and Tufts University.

Continued...

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