Track takes MIT by storm

Last weekend the men’s and women’s track and field teams traveled to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to participate in the MIT Co-ed Indoor Invitational, the last meet of the regular season. In what proved to be a very impressive showing, the teams turned in dominating performances with 13 overall first-place finishes and several others placing in the top five.

Senior tri-captain Anjuli Demers ’10 took the 200 dash. Becca Fanning ’12 and Kaitlynn Saldanha ’11 piggy-backed off each others’ success, finishing one-two in the women’s 800. Several other runners also had similar success, with Sophia Spring ’11 and Addie Tousley ’13 coming in first and second, respectively, in the one mile run, and Jessica Spar ’11 and Margo Cramer ’12 finishing the 3000 in first and second.

Amanda Lee ’11 took the longest distance event, winning the 5000 for the women. Building on the success of the past relays, the women’s team of Anna Thurston ’13, Demers, Alice Wisener ’11, and Mia Martinez ’12 won the women’s 4x200 relay.

The men’s side demonstrated a similar level of skill and depth with several athletes finishing in the top five in their events.

Addison Godine ’11 finished first in the men’s 600 and tri-captain Micah Wood ’10 took the 800. The men’s distance crew had a particularly strong showing, with Jack Terrett ’11 finishing first in the mile with several other Panthers following on his tail. Rookie Jack Davies ’13 won the 3000 and in the field Kris Williams ’11 won the pole vault.

The meet’s success was especially significant for the Panthers, as the Middlebury squad came against several strong competitors and gave a performance that could be a good indicator for successes to come, particularly as the spring season approaches. Many athletes view the indoor season as a precursor to the spring, and the performances this past winter will help guage the level of talent fans can expect to see in the coming months.

“There were a lot of NESCAC teams there, and we demonstrated how competitive we’ll be this spring,” said Katy Magill ’11. The teams are looking to carry this momentum, not only into the indoor postseason, but also into the outdoor season, which starts in March with the annual spring break trip to San Diego.