Adrian Leads As Indoor Track Winds Down

Author: Erich Kahner

The Middlebury men's and women's track and field teams capped off the regular season last Saturday at the Tufts Stampede in Medford, Mass. The Panthers posted three NCAA Division III national championships provisional qualifying marks and broke three school records during the long day of competition in the Gantcher Family Sports and Convocation Center.
Senior quad-Captain Michela Adrian played a role in two of the three qualifying efforts as she won the 5000-meter run in 17:32.05 and anchored the victorious women's Distance Medley relay (DMR). Her 5000 time ranks seventh in the nation among Division III athletes this year. Jess Manzer '05 also was a dual qualifier, coupling her DMR effort with a victory in the 800-meter run in a provisional time of 2:18.77.
The DMR, comprised of Maryanne Porter '04, Adri Logalbo '03, Manzer and Adrian, with its time of 12:13.65, finds itself in a familiar position. Last season all but Manzer made up this relay team and also posted a provisional mark, but their time of 12:10.09, which was two seconds off the automatic time earned them the painful label of the first relay team not to be included in the championship field of eight. The DMR will have three more weeks of regional postseason championship to lower their time and better their chances for nationals.
Jon Erwin '05 had an excellent day as he broke Middlebury's 3000-meter record by over two seconds with his time of 9:01.1. After falling a few seconds short two weekends ago, he came into Tufts with the record as his goal. With 100 meters left in the race, seeing the time was within reach, he put on a kick to pass two competitors and Brian Schilling and Adam Hersch's name in the record books. To complete a well-rounded effort, Erwin later led off the men's 4x800-meter relay with a strong 2:01 split.
Nick Dagani '05 also had a great day as he chopped six seconds off his personal best to claim the indoor school record in the 1500-meter run. The men's 4x200-meter relay, comprised of Liam Aiello '05, Greg Lazarus '05, Mike DeLeo '03 and Kevin Bright '05 also set a new indoor mark with their time of 1:33.59.
The meet at Tufts marked the end of a regular season in which the team saw a large number of athletes achieve postseason qualification standards. The women maintained their perennial excellence by sending around a dozen individuals and a few relays on to the various regional and national championships. On the other side, the men, with the improving veterans and influx of talented first-years, are sending greater numbers than they have in the past.
"We have to wait until Thursday until the final lists are posted," Beatty said. "But with [Bright] and DeLeo already in, and with so many others on the bubble, I think we'll have more men qualify for the postseason than we have in recent years."
The Panthers will send their postseason qualifiers to the New England Division III championships this Friday for the weekend competition. The men will travel to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, wheras the women will head north to Brunswick for their meet at Bowdoin.