4x400m "Dream Team" clocks one for the ages

Author: Ryan Reese

This past weekend the Indoor Track team's cream of the crop made their way south to Boston to compete in the Open New England Championships. As one of the last steps before the prized NCAA Championships, there is no doubt that the pressure was on. The results showed that the Panthers did not shy away from the spotlight.

On the women's side of things, Senior Allison Williams was sent to represent her fellow Panthers in the 500m. The middle distance specialist from Edina, Minn., clocked in with a time of 1:20.27. The strong finish and outstanding effort earned her the 15th best time in New England this year.

For the men, the always-amazing Nick Digani '05 ran his specialty, the 800m, and did not disappoint. With a time of 1:53.51, the speedy senior from Illinois erased his own school record again. While consistently breaking his own mark, many are wondering how low it will get and where the madness will end. With the big time indoor meets yet to come and an entire outdoor season on the horizon, there is no doubt that Digani has more tricks in his bag.

Digani did not end his day there. There was more work to be done, and the four horsemen of the 4x400m brought their "A" game and made history in the process.

As the runners exploded out of the blocks, not a soul in Boston, or New England for that matter, had any idea what Middlebury had in store. Digani ran alongside juniors Kevin Bright and Matt Malek, as well as Patrick Swan '08, to produce one of the most stunning times in recent Middlebury track history - 3:18.61. Read that again. With this time, the "Dream Team" shattered the Middlebury school record by more than three seconds and is currently listed as the third best 4x400 combination in the entire country.

Not only did they qualify for the NCAA Championships that will be held in Illinois on March 11 and 12, but they are poised to medal as well. What makes their achievement all the more impressive is the fact that a considerable time has elapsed since the last time Middlebury took a relay team to Nationals. They're not just going, they're going with expectations.

Anchorman Bright said, "We're looking to get a good time this weekend at Yale in order to get a good seed at nationals. We're really looking to place there because it'd be pretty cool to be All-Americans."

Before the national meet, the "Dream Team" has another weekend to tune up the spikes. The ECAC Championship is to be held at St. Lawrence College this upcoming weekend. With a larger talent pool and more competing schools, the combo will once again see how they measure up.

With the leadership and experience of Digani, the strength and force of Bright's running, the irrepressible competitive spirit and unmatched desire of Malek and the fresh and eager attitude of first-year Swan, the combination is perfect. The recipe calls for success and there is little doubt that it will be delivered. Stay tuned - more excitement is sure to come.