Track moving to a close

Author: Ana Christina Furney

As the spring months approach, some sports teams on campus enter the final stages their season, while others are just beginning. For Middlebury's track team, the indoor season is coming to a climax. Competition began in early January for the runners, after competing in the Dartmouth College invitational. More recent competitions have included meets at Wesleyan, St. Lawrence, Dartmouth and Tufts. The most recent efforts of the track team occurred over the weekend at the New England Championships. While the men's team took 11th place, the women's team finished four back in 15th.

The indoor events over the weekend were comprised of 24 different organizations. While neither team broke into the top 10 overall, some individual performers did extremely well in a variety of different disciplines.

Matt Engler, a junior from San Diego, CA competed in the 55m hurdles and raced to a solid third place with a time of 7.88. Strong work didn't end there. Nick Digani '05 placed fifth in the 800m with a time of 1:56.53 while junior Kevin Bright placed sixth in the 400m with a time of 50.83. Sophomore Alex Wellman completed the pentathlon in sixth place with 2,971 points. The men's competition was culminated in the Distance Medley Relay consisting of four of Middlebury's finest athletes - Digani, Bright, Jonathon Erwin '05 and Jimmy Butcher '08. This grouping completed the competition in fourth position, with an overall time of 10:29.16.

On the women's side there remained a dominant display of athleticism. It was senior Allison Williams who shone in the 600m, racing to the bronze medal in a time of 1:39.98. Senior Sarah Berkowitz pole-vaulted to fifth place, with a final measure of 10'6", while Sarah Wilson '08 followed her in sixth place, with a height of 10'.

First-year athlete Lizz Huntley reflected on the meet by saying that the weekend "was successful for the team. I feel that while other teams are in full force, we only have half the team that competes indoors, and we still managed to hold our own amongst other colleges with full rosters."

As the indoor track season comes to an end, the outdoor track season begins its training for the spring. We will be seeing many familiar faces and names in the upcoming weeks, as Middlebury athletes transition between these two sister-sports.

Indoor Track is coming to an end with Middlebury's men and women competing in another portion of the Open New England's on February 25. Huntley recommends paying attention to the women's team, for they will be extremely competitive in the 55m, the 55m hurdles and the 600m. Some of the Panther athletes who will be traveling to Boston University include, Allison Williams '05, Erin Oliver '07 and Huntley.