The College's men's and women's track and field teams posted six NCAA Division III provisional qualifying times, among other accomplishments, at Princeton University during the Sam Howell Invitational on Friday and Saturday.
"Six qualifying times is very good for early in the season," head coach Steve Dolan said. "The team competed very well."
On the women's team, sophomore Tiffany Clark led the Lions with two strong performances. She won the 400-meter run with an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 55.92 and was also a member of the Lions' 4x100 relay team, which came in first place with another provisional time of 48.52. Freshman Khristelle Manuyag and sophomores Brittny Boyd and Kate Powell were part of the relay team as well.
Another NCAA provisional time was hit by senior Beth Vesey in the 1,500-meter run, placing third with a time of 4:40.22. With a time of 10:00.16, Vesey took second place in the 3,000-meter run.
Senior Lindsay Scarborough ran the steeplechase for the Lions, which is a relatively new event for women. It consists of a foot race of usually 3,000 meters over a track with hurdles and a water jump.
"This is only the third year it's been an NCAA event," Scarborough said. "But it's getting more popular."
Scarborough finished the steeple with a provisional time of 11:11.09 and walked away with second place.
"I'm happy with my time," Scarborough said. "I'm still learning how to hurdle though, so I expect to be able take more off my steeple time than if I were running a flat 3K."
The men's team also posted a few NCAA qualifying times.
Notably, senior Kevin Semanick had an impressive showing in the 400-meter hurdles. Semanick won the race and finished with an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 53.59 seconds
Also, junior Brian Donovan, in his first time competing in the 10,000-meter run, picked up an eighth place finish with an impressive NCAA provisional qualifying time of 31:15.24.
Originally, Donovan was hesitant about running 10,000 meters. "It's such a long race," he said. "I told myself I would never run it."
But after some encouraging words from his coach, Donovan ran the race and now has no regrets.
"Twenty-five laps around a circle actually weren't as bad as I thought they were going to be," he said. "I was having fun with it."
Donovan even has plans for future 10,000-meter races. "I just squeezed in by only five seconds this time so I have to run faster next time," he said. "Hopefully, if I do well the next time I run it, I'll be running at nationals."
Another provisional time was met by freshman Jeff Zodda, who picked up second place in the 800-meter with a time of 1:53.23.
Overall, the team is very proud of its performances considering its competition.
"It's cool to see how the team stacks up against Division I schools," Scarborough said. "It's a great feeling to run past someone who is probably getting paid to be there and know you're just out there because you want to be."
This genuine determination will guide the team towards future victories as the season progresses.
"We've seen improvements from the first week to the second week and we're building momentum for the meets later on in the season," Dolan said. "I'm pleased with everyone's efforts."
