WVU

After a long fall of hard preseason training, the track and field athletes finally had their chance to shine. The day began with trials in the 55m dash and 60m hurdles. Junior Tim Hassett set a new PR in the 55m and tied his previous PR in the hurdles. Juniors Becca Lendyak and Beth Muller advanced to finals, where they were the top Division III runners. In the finals, Becca set a new PR and both women qualified for the NCAC championship meet. Becca returned later in the day to qualify for the NCAC meet in the 200m. Sophomore Taylor Throckmorton (pictured above) won the 400m by passing Rashard Adams of Lynchburg College in the final few meters. While few distance athletes chose to compete in the meet because of the length of the cross country season, Anthony Hessel represented the Gator distance squad well by winning the 3,000m.

Athletes competing in the field events had some of the most spectacular performances of the day. Sophomores Kristin Collins and Lauren Butler both had massive improvements in the weight throw. Lauren threw 10 feet further than her previous best to place third. Kristin stepped up to the challenge and improved by 9 feet. Lauren also qualified for the NCAC meet in the shot put. Her throw can be seen in the video below. Freshman Kerri Morgan qualified for the NCAC meet in the pole vault before withdrawing with a knee injury.

After the semester break, the Gators return to action at Baldwin-Wallace's January invitational.

NCAA Championships

On November 21st, the Gators survived a muddy, hilly course to finish third in the nation as a team. Track All-Americans Jeramie Parker and Chris Marker stayed with the lead pack the entire race to finish 11th and 14th respectively, earning their first All-American awards for cross country. Jake Zimmerman was Allegheny's next runner in 60th. Because individuals who are running without a team do not count towards the team score, Zimmerman was 44th in team scoring. He was followed closely by Tony Dipre in 66th (49th in team scoring). Zac Ross, who was Allegheny's last runner to count towards the team score, finished in 109th overall (83rd in team scoring).

The race was won by North Central, who has been the #1 ranked team the entire season. Williams College finished in second with 181 points, 14 points ahead of Allegheny. This was Allegheny's second time finishing in third place at nationals under the direction of head coach Bill Ross, and it marks the fourth consecutive year that the men have been in the top ten at nationals.

The success of the team this year can not be mentioned without including the contributions of the Gator fans. Gator parents, alumni, teammates, and friends came out in droves to form one of the largest and most vocal groups of supporters at the meet.

Unfortunately, the team loses both Zimmerman and Dipre (pictured below) next year, but they will remain strong contenders because of the experienced runners who will be returning. Not only do Parker, Marker, and Ross have another season of eligibility, the men will also retain junior Ryan Sullivan, who has competed in the last two national championships, junior Matt Lacombe who competed in his first national championships this season, and sophomore Pat McLaughlin who traveled with the team as the alternate. There are also many underclassmen at home, training hard and fighting for a spot in the top 7.

The track and field athletes begin the indoor season next weekend at West Virginia University. The distance runners, including the men who ran at nationals, will wait until January to compete.

Mideast Regional

With their first Mideast regional title, the Allegheny men showed why they are ranked so high in the national polls. Led by region champion Chris Marker (24:54) and runner-up Jeramie Parker (25:00), the men defeated 44 teams, including 4 nationally-ranked programs. Showing they have both speed up front and great depth, the Gators placed 6 men on the All-Region team this year. Also receiving All-Region awards were Zac Ross (15th place, 25:31), Tony Dipre (16th, 25:34), Jake Zimmerman (25th, 25:56), and Ryan Sullivan (31st, 26:04).

As one of the strongest regions in the country, the Mideast received five bids to the national championships next weekend. The Mideast teams that will join Allegheny on the starting line are Carnegie Mellon (2nd place at the regional championship), Haverford (3rd), Dickinson (4th), and Elizabethtown (5th). The 2009 NCAA Championship will be held in Cleveland, OH on Saturday, November 21st.



Although the women's team did not advance to the national championship, the day contained many successes. Senior Mia Symoniak continued to pace the team, placing 25th in a time of 22:48. Joining her on the All-Region team for the first time was junior Katie Stancik (31st, 23:07).

As a team, the women improved one spot on last year's finish, coming in 8th this year. The region was won by Johns Hopkins, who is currently ranked second in the nation.

With only two seniors competing on this year's championship team, the women have a positive outlook for the future. Those returning next year include Stancik, freshman Kelly Gallagher (50th, 23:40), sophomore Hallie Dilley (89th, 24:13), junior Sam Zink (97th, 24:22), and freshman Hannah Serlin (148th, 25:13).

NCAC Championships

After a night of heavy rain, Ohio Wesleyan's home course was more like a swamp for the conference championship meet on Saturday, October 31st. In poor conditions, many teams fold under the pressure, but the Gators showed up ready to run hard. The women slogged through a muddy stream and over a flooded bridge twice, but never gave up. For their efforts, they finished third as team, improving on their fifth place showing last year. The team championship was won by Oberlin College (ranked #21 in the nation). Wittenberg came in second, defeating Allegheny by a mere 6 points. Senior Mia Symoniak (pictured below) was the women's first finisher in 24:12. She was followed closely by Katie Stancik (24:17) and Kelly Gallagher (24:19). Sam Zink was the fourth runner in 25:00. On a day when conditions prevent even the best athletes from running fast, senior Emily Dunn surprised her competitors by stepping up to finish fifth on the team and almost setting a new PR.



While the conditions prevented the men from running the times that would be expected from a national caliber team, the team score reflected their dominance. The Gator men won with a low score of 25, well ahead of runner-up Wabash (82) and third place finisher Oberlin (85). Juniors Jeramie Parker and Chris Marker (pictured below) finished in the top two spots with times of 25:53 and 25:57. Rounding out the team score were Zac Ross in 6th place (26:30), Tony Dipre in 7th (26:39), and Jake Zimmerman in 9th (26:50).


On November 14th, the Gators will compete in the Mideast Regional Championships at Lehigh University. The top team and individual finishers at the meet earn a spot at the NCAA championships in Cleveland, OH.

Inter Regional Rumble

Last Saturday, the men and women slogged through the mud at Oberlin College in the Inter Regional Rumble. The women got the day off to a great start with 6 of the top 7 runners running new PR's, with sophmore Hallie Dilley finishing just 4 seconds slower than her previous PR in only her second meet back from a summer injury. The team was led by senior Mia Symoniak, who finished in 22:26. Also running in the varsity race were Kelly Gallagher (FR, 23:10), Hannah Serlin (FR, 23:29), Sam Zink (JR, 23:44), Laura Heltman (JR, 24:36), and Emily Dunn (SR, 24:40). In addtion, senior Lynn Simonton and sophmore Amber Wetzel (both pictured above) ran new season's bests. Despite the absence (due to illness) of junior Katie Stancik, Allegheny finished close behind fellow Mideast Region teams Grove City and Carnegie Mellon, and ahead of Elizabethtown and Westminster. The women also beat conference opponents Kenyon, Wooster, and Hiram.

In the men's race, junior Chris Marker ran away from the field early in the race and held on for the individual win in a time of 24:46. Teammate Jeramie Parker finished second in a new PR of 24:54. Unfortunately, the men lost a close battle with nationally-ranked NYU, finishing a mere 3 points behind them, but the Allegheny men soundly beat numerous other nationally ranked teams, including Carnegie Mellon (#21), University of St. Thomas (#33), Ohio Northern (#20), and Johns Hopkins (#31). By the time the men finished, the sloppy course had been torn apart, but several men improved upon their previous bests, including Matt Brush, John O'Neil, Steve Cottington, and Ryan Hanson, who dropped 25 seconds to finish 32nd in the loaded field.

In another positive move, both teams improved on their finishes from last year, where the men came in 5th and the women came in 13th. The Inter Regional Rumble represents the end of cross country's regular season meets. The next competition will be the North Coast Athletic Conference championship on October 31st at Ohio Wesleyan.

Paul Short Run

In a change from past years, the Paul Short Run on Friday, October 2 was divided into 4 divisions. The Allegheny College men competed in the Gold race, the fastest race of the day. In a preview of this year's regional championship course, 6 of Allegheny's top 7 men ran new PR's, leading them to finish second among Division III teams behind Cortland, who is currently ranked third in the nation, and ahead of nationally ranked rivals Dickinson (#9), St. Lawrence (#11), Haverford (#21), and Plattsburgh (#28). They also defeated the varsity squads of numerous local Division I and II teams including Duquesne, Shippensburg, Lock Haven, Pitt, and Lehigh. The top teams in the Gold race were Indiana, Iona (ranked #7 in Division I polls), and N.C. State (#19 in Division I). Allegheny's scorers were Chris Marker (24:42), Zac Ross (25:01), Tony Dipre (pictured above, 25:03), Jeramie Parker (25:03), and Jake Zimmerman (25:30).

The women competed in the Brown race where they finished 26th, a mere four points behind regional rivals Messiah, and ahead of regional teams Misericordia, Swarthmore, and Elizabethtown, as well as Pennsylvania schools Temple and Pitt. The race was won by Division II teams Kutztown and Bloomsburg. With a change in faces from the Calvin Invitational, Katie Stancik (pictured above) led the way (23:07), followed closely by freshman Kelly Gallagher (23:16) and Hannah Serlin (23:30) in their first 6k's ever. In their seasonal debut after suffering from summer injuries, Hallie Dilley finished fourth for the team (24:19) and Lynn Simonton ran 6th (25:20). Senior Emily Dunn ran a new PR of 25:11 to finish in fifth for the Gators.

The next meet for both teams will be Interregional Rumble at Oberlin on October 17th.

Calvin Invitational

The Allegheny men moved up a spot to #5 in this week's national polls, largely due to their dominating performance at the Calvin Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 19. Host Calvin College is ranked seventh in the nation for NCAA Division III schools, but they couldn't hold off Allegheny, who had four men finish before Calvin's second runner. After their great seasons on the track last year, Chris Marker and Jeremie Parker continued to improve, finishing second and 6th overall in new PR's of 25:01 and 25:12. Zac Ross was close behind in 25:18 for 8th place. The top 6 athletes finished with a 51 second spread. They included Jake Zimmerman (12th, 25:31), Tony Dipre (20th, 25:50) and Pat McLaughlin (21st) in a PR of 25:52. The team scored 48 points to win the meet, defeating runner-up Calvin (83 points), Ohio Northern (#19 in the nation in NCAA Division III), Aquinas (#8 in the nation in NAIA), and Indiana Tech (#15 in the nation in NAIA).

The women entered the meet ready to prove themselves. With great weather and a fast course on their side, they stepped up their game. Senior Mia Symoniak led the way with a fifth place finish and a new PR of 18:10.3. Katie Stancik (JR) followed in 18:54. The next four athletes were a mix of freshmen and returners, but all set new PR's. They included Kelly Gallagher (FR, 19:00), Sam Zink (JR, 19:29), Hannah Serlin (FR, 19:45), and Angie Dyer (JR. 20:05). As a team, the women were fourth behind Calvin (#2 in the nation for NCAA Division III), Case Western Reserve (#13 in NCAA), and Baldwin-Wallace (#35 in NCAA), and ahead of Aquinas (#15 in the nation in NAIA), Spring Arbor (#17 in NAIA) and conference rivals Ohio Wesleyan.

As a result of their fine races, Mia Symoniak and Chris Marker were named NCAC Runner's of the Week. The next meet on the schedule is the Paul Short Invitational at Lehigh University.

Presque Isle

Like many college programs who have a low-key season opener, the Allegheny men and women had a competition with Penn State Behrend at Presque Isle in Erie on August 30th. The run began at Beach #1, heading out along the path that follows the bay side of the peninsula. The men ran in several large packs, with Allegheny's top 6 returners from last year's team leading the way. Running in the rain, the women's teams split after the first mile, with freshman Sara Mitrano and junior Sam Zink setting a fast early pace. The Behrend athletes fell in behind the two with their top three women working together, followed by a large pack of Allegheny women. All of the athletes ran negative splits, despite the torrential downpour that began half-way through the run (or maybe because of it). After the race, both teams went to Sara's diner at the entrance to the park, where they enjoyed hot dogs, french fries, and old-fashioned milk shakes. Allegheny's first invitational will take place at Calvin College on September 18th.

3k time trial

The first time trial of the season was held last Friday night under the lights. The run brought as much drama as a race, with great pack running, fast finishing kicks, and a hint of a great season to come.

The women started the night off with a run that will cheer up any Gator fan. Veterans Mia Symoniak and Katie Stancik led the way with their typical strong performances. Four of the next 6 finishers were newcomers, with freshman Kelly Gallagher finishing in the 18th fastest time ever run by an Allegheny woman in the time trial. With the newcomers setting the bar high, and with only three seniors on the team, the future looks bright for this fall and for years to come.

While the women are on the verge of taking off, the men have already arrived at the top. The Gator men lost two of the top 7 runners from last year's nationally-ranked team, but they reloaded with new talent and the returning athletes have taken a step up to the next level. Three of the top 4 finishers in the time trial ran more than 25 seconds faster than last year. Freshman Mike Vlah was able to break into the group of seasoned upperclassmen, finishing in 7th place and running the 20th fastest time out of the ten years of recorded performances. In another notable performance, sophmore Garrett Gleeson ran 30 seconds faster than his best run last year. With experience at the front and superior depth, the men seem poised for another victorious season.

XC Preseason Polls

The US Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association has released the first cross country polls of the year. With their strong performances last year in cross country and the huge improvements by several individuals on the track, the Allegheny College men are ranked first in the Mideast region and 6th in the nation. The Allegheny women are currently ranked 7th in the Mideast region, with defending champions Johns Hopkins leading the list.

The top two teams in each region advance automatically to the national championships, with additional bids given to teams who have competed well during the last part of their season.

Ryan Place '08 tearing it up - in Boston!

Sunday, August 09, 2009

Men's team wins Bridge of Flowers 10km

Ryan Place ran his first race in a GBTC uniform.On the day before the race Dan Smith took the team on a tour of the Shelburne Falls 10 km course. The key to this race is knowing and understanding the monster hill called Crittendon. The road rises from the valley where the Deerfield River flows over the falls up and around tree canopied turns that conceal the pitch each runner will confront in the next minute. Crittendon raises 400 feet in a mile. The running speeds change tremendously in the race because of these contours. David Bedoya who placed 10th averaging 5:21 per mile for the 10 km ran up the monster in 6:40 and down in 4:50. New GBTC member Ryan Place who hadn't raced in months ran cautiously with the following pack up the hills. Eric Blake and Justin Freeman led to the crest. Place wanted to be intact for the downhills. At the top they ran threw a cooling spray from garden hoses and past a seated musician playing a jolly accordion. On this picture post-card perfect day the runners all cooled and wet flew down the dirt road and back into the valley. Ryan Place came alive with speed.Place won the race in 32:10 followed by Dan Smith in 9th at 33:08, Bedoya in 33:15, Jon Korhonen in 33:16, and Kevin Somers in 33:21. These five in the top 12 clinched the team title for GBTC and the $350 in prize money for the club. Place won $250 for first and Smith and Bedoya collected some cash too.Interviewed after the race Place said this to Bill Wells of The Republican:"I've never run a course like this. I'm not a great hill runner. To be honest I was hoping just not to get annihilated. I was trying to conserve as much energy as I could on that hill."As soon as we hit the flats, I was feeling pretty good. I found my stride, and I was pulling in the two guys ( Eric Blake and Justin Freeman). I hit the last mile, got excited, got a little bit of an adrenaline rush and carried it home."David Hantman in his debut ran 36:40 for 21st place. The club's only female entrant, Beth Harlow, ran 18th among women in 44:25.Dan Smith, who grew up in Shelburne Falls, arranged a sumptuous barbecue for the team as well as lodging on the night before. There really is a bridge over the Deerfield River that was once a railroad and is now a flower garden.Full results here.

USATF Championships

For Allegheny College, summer is a chance to see our athletes compete against the nation's best. This year, two athletes competed at the USATF Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, OR. Freshman Lauren Butler qualified for junior nationals in the javelin, while Allegheny graduate Jeremy Scott competed against other elites for the national title in the pole vault. Jeremy finished tied for second and advanced to the World Championships in Berlin. Qualifying rounds in the pole vault begin on August 20th.

The End of April

On the weekend of April 24-26, the team split in several directions, with each group coming away with positive results. Several of the distance men competed at Hillsdale in the famous Gina Relays. Jeramie Parker ran one of the fastest times in the nation with a 3:50.85 mile. Chris Marker ran 14:53 in the 5k to rank him second in the conference behind Parker. Zac Ross ran 32:02 in the 10k, which also ranks him second in the conference behind an Allegheny teammate (Chris Corkins, in this case).

At the same time, several athletes were competing at Oberlin College. Lauren Butler continued her domination of the javelin with another win. Caileigh Hughes improved in the triple jump by several inches. Greg Eyer and Jamie Drab both ran 1:59 in the 800m to squeek under the conference qualifying time. In the 400, Jacob Seigh and Andrew Glod ran new PR's. Perhaps the most impressive performance for the team, Glod returned half an hour later to also run a PR in the 400 hurdles.

On Saturday, the conference championships began with the heptathlon and decathlon competitions. Emily Norton set a new personal best in five of the seven events in the heptathlon. Caileigh Hughes was entering her first ever heptathlon, and had never previously competed in the hurdles or shot put. Cedric Gamble tied his PR in the pole vault, an event in which he is now ranked #1 in the conference, but had his highest point total in the 1500, where he ran an outstanding 4:37. Darryl Overton, who was also competing in his first multi-event, took first in the discus and shot. At the Sunday conclusion, Cedric Gamble was fourth and Darryl Overton seventh for the men. Emily Norton finished in fifth for the women with Caileigh Hughes coming in seventh.



The remaining events in the NCAC Championship will be held this Saturday and Sunday at Ohio Wesleyan.

Sparky Adams Invite

On Saturday, the team enjoyed a beautiful day on Baldwin-Wallace's track and fields. Joe McMahon brought home another victory and improved his national qualfying mark in the triple jump after exceeding 47', and finished second in the long jump. Matt Yurky qualified for conferences in the same events, and Taylor Throckmorton also met the standard in the long jump. Newcomber Dante Briscoe met the conference qualifying standard in only his second high jump. McMahon and Throckmorton combined with Chas Moore-Seymore and Josh Brannan for a third place finish and new season best in the 4x100. Beth Muller was the top Division III finisher and ran the fastest time in the conference for the 400m with a sub-60 performance. Leading the distance runners, Tony Dipre won the 1500 and returned shortly to finish second in the 800m. Chris Marker joined him on the list of conference qualifiers in the 1500m. Sam Zink, Katie Stancik, and Alex Rowland also ran conference qualifiers in the 800m. Lynn Simonton and Kate David both dropped several seconds from their steeplechase bests, with Lynn finishing fourth overall.

The team splits in multiple directions in the upcoming week. A handful of distance runners will travel to Michigan for the Gina Relays. On Friday, several athletes will compete at Oberlin College. The heptathletes and decathletes compete in their conference championship on Saturday and Sunday.

Bison Classic

A small group of athletes travelled to Bucknell for the Bison Classic on April 10-11 with the specific goal of qualifying for championship meets. Those that competed reached that goal, with several athletes posting astounding results. Junior Mia Symoniak ran a huge personal best in the 10k on Friday night to win the invitational section and qualify for the NCAA Championships. At this writing, she stands 6th in the nation in that event. Lauren Butler finished second in javelin with another throw over the national standard. Joe McMahon posted a national qualfiying performance in the triple jump. Jeremy Parker won the open 5k with a 14:50.67, which is currently the best time in the conference and only a few seconds away from a provisional NCAA qualifier. Other conference qualifiers include Pat McLaughlin in his first 10k, Matt Brush in the steeplechase, Josh Brannan and Pete Sotherland in the javelin, Cedric Gamble in the pole vault, Ryan Sullivan in the 5k, Alex Gorski in the 800, and Chris Corkins with the fastest time in the conference in the 10k.

Marv Frye Invite

On April 5th, the track and field team competed at the Marv Frye Invite, producing numerous top finishes and conference qualifiers. Senior Joe McMahon continued his great year in the triple jump with another win. In his first triple jump competition ever, converted basketball player Dante Briscoe finished fifth and qualified for the conference meet. Pete Sotherland finished third in the pole vault, but his clearance currently leads the conference. Senior Chas Moore-Seymore ran a conference qualifier in both the 100m and 200m in his first meet of the year. Josh Brannan finished third in the 100m, fourth in the 200m, and anchored the 4x100 team that came out of the slow heat to finish third. In the 100m, Josh ran an 11.02, which is currently the fastest time in the conference, while the winner finished just ahead in 11.00. Matt Lacombe squeked under the conference standard in the 5k to give Allegheny 5 men on the list.

The women were led by Lauren Butler, who remains undefeated in the javelin after three meets. Lauren has surpassed the NCAA provisional mark each time, and has also qualified for the USATF Junior National meet in June at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. To start the running events, Kate David and Lynn Simonton both ran new PR's in the steeplechase, with Lynn qualifying for thte conference meet. Beth Muller finished third in the 100m and fifth in the 200m in her first meet of the season. She is currently ranked second in the conference in both events.

The next meet on the schedule will be a Bucknell's Bison Classic, where a limited roster will compete. The whole team will be travelling to Baldwin-Wallace in two weeks.

The Start of Outdoor

The indoor season came to a spectacular conclusion with multiple awards, PR's, and records. At the conference meet, sophmore Jeramie Parker was named distance runner of the meet after setting a new conference record and qualifying for nationals in the mile. Sophmore Beth Muller was named sprinter of the meet for pulling off a phenomenal triple, in which she won the 55m, 200m, and 400m, while setting new school records in the 55m and 200m. The next weekend, 5 members of the men's team travelled to Rose-Hulman for the national championships. Tony Dipre and Joe McMahon earned All-American awards in the mile and the triple jump respectively.

The national championships also marked the start of spring break for Allegheny College. This year, the track and field team went to San Diego for break. The week consisted of normal practices, but the team also spent time visiting famous locations like the Gaslamp district, the San Diego Zoo, and Old Town. At the end of the week, the athletes competed at Point Loma Nazarene. Despite a week of sunburns, lots of Yogurtland trips, and adjusting to the time zone change, the men and women posted some great early season performances. Fresh off her conference championship in the shot put, Lauren Butler qualified for nationals in javelin. Lauren also finished second in the shot, with the top throw in the conference. Becca Lendyak finished second in the 100m, posting a conference leading time. Sam Zink and Katie Stancik qualified for the conference championships in the mile, while Claire LeMasters qualified in the steeplechase. Mia Symoniak won the 5k, with Rachel Hutchinson finishing in third. In the triple jump, Emily Norton jumped a new PR to place second and qualify for the conference meet.

On the men's side, Josh Brannan had an impressive day in only his third meet of the year. Josh was second in the 100m with a time of 11.12 and first in the 200m, running 22.33. Both performances lead the conference currently. He also qualfied for the conference meet in the javelin, along with decathlete Pete Sotherland and thrower Shane Hennessy. The 5k men were dominant, as always, with Jakeb Zimmerman, Zac Ross , Pat McLaughlin, and Ryan Sullivan all finishing in the top 8 in the field and qualifying for the conference meet. Senior distance runner Chris Corkins qualfied for the conference meet in his first steeple in five years. With little time to recover from nationals, Joe McMahon won the triple jump, landing just short of the outdoor track national standard.

Kent State #3

The third trip to Kent State this season brought new conference qualifiers and several season bests. In the 55m, Chas Moore-Seymore and Josh Brannan qualified for the conference meet in their first race of the season. Moore-Seymore came back and qualified in the 200m later in the afternoon. Hannah Smith improved on her season best in the hurdles. Beth Muller, Becca Lendyak, and Alley Mikovich all had season bests in the 200m. As a result, all three are currently ranked in the top 5 in the conference standings. Taylor Throckmorton, Andrew Glod, and Jacob Seigh all ran PR's in the 400. Angie Dyer and Greg Eyer ran new PR's in the 800m, while Alex Rowland and Jamie Drab improved on their season bests to qualify for conferences in the same event. Annie Ginty improved upon her season best in the 5000m. Adding to the already deep list of conference qualifiers in the men's distance events, Matt Brush ran a 4:26.2 mile and Zac Ross finished close behind him in 4:27.36. Chris Corkins, Ryan Sullivan, and Pat McLaughlin all added their names to the list of 3k conference qualifiers.

The next meet will be the conference championships on March 6-7 at Denison. Please come out and support the Gators!

Academic Honors

Tony Dipre and Jeramie Parker have continued to add to their impressive list of honors and awards. Both athletes have been named to the 2008 Division III Cross Country All-Academic team. To be named to the team, athletes must demonstrate athletic and academic ability by finishing in the top quarter at their regional championship and maintaining a GPA above 3.5.

Baldwin Wallace and Boston

The past two weeks have brought enormous success for the Allegheny College men's and women's track and field teams. At Baldwin-Wallace, Beth Muller finished fourth in both the 55m and 200m. Becca Lendyak also made finals, finishing seventh in the 55m and 200m. Katie Stancik was second in the 800m and fourth in the mile. Also in the mile, Mia Symoniak finished third and Sam Zink followed in fifth. Rachel Hutchinson was fifth in the 5000m. Laura Heltman broke 32' in the triple jump for the first time, resulting in a fifth place finish. Lauren Butler continued her strong season with a third place finish in the shot. On the men's side, Matt Brush was second place in the 1000m in a close race. Tony Dipre and Jeramie Parker both ran new PR's to finish one-two in the mile. Dipre dominated in a time of 4:15.0, while Parker ran a 4:21.07 to beat the next closest competitor by over 3.5 seconds. In the 5000m, Matt Lacombe finished fourth, with Pat McLaughlin and Ryan Sullivan following close behind in sixth and seventh. Matt Yurky qualified for finals in the hurdles, finishing sixth with a season best of 8.18. In the field events, Joe McMahon won the long jump, with Taylor Throckmorton finishing third. McMahon also won the triple jump, leaping 44'11", with Yurky finishing in fourth. Pete Sotherland was second in the pole vault.

The Boston University Valentine's Invitational on the following week was a showcase for some of the great talent at Allegheny. Some of the best Division III athletes in the nation competed alongside schools like Army, Boston College, Iona, Syracuse, and Providence. Our athletes took advantage of the opportunity and set numerous new records. Mia Symoniak dropped several more seconds from her 5000, finishing in 17:51.39. Sam Zink and Katie Stancik ran new PR's in the women's mile. The men's DMR of Jeramie Parker, Taylor Throckmorton, Ryan Hanson, and Tony Dipre finished in second place, running one of the fastest times in the nation. Taylor Throckmorton followed it up with a 50.21 in the open 400m, which is a new PR and the number one time in the conference. Tony Dipre was 12th in the mile with a new PR of 4:09.63, which is currently the second fastest time in the country by a Division III athlete. Jeramie Parker also ran a new PR of 4:17.65, narrowly missing a national qualifying time. Ryan Hanson finished the 5000m in a new PR and national qualifying time of 14:46.67. In the same event, Jakeb Zimmerman dropped 10 more seconds off his time to finish in 15:18.58. Senior Joe McMahon jumped 47'2.5" to finish third in the triple jump and qualify for nationals.

The team returns to Kent State this Saturday for one final tune-up before the conference championships.

A New Record at NCAC Relays

The NCAC Relays on January 31st is a unique meet, in that every event is a relay. Along with traditional relays, like the 4x400 and sprint medley, there were several events where each school could enter two or more athletes in an event, and those athletes were scored as a relay team.

The Gators showed up firing on all cylinders. In the first running event of the day, Ryan Hanson and Chris Marker both ran new PR's in the 5,000 to win the relay in a time of 30:27.52, breaking the old meet record by 3.57 seconds. Pete Sotherland and Cedric Gamble went 1-2 to dominate the pole vault relay. The future looks strong on the women's side, as several underclassmen shone. Sophmores Emily Norton and Laura Heltman combined for first place in the triple jump relay and second place in the long jump relay. Freshman Lauren Butler broke the 40' barrier for the first time to win the shot put.

The next meet will be a Friday evening meet at Baldwin-Wallace on February 6th.

West Virginia University

The athletes traveling to West Virginia last weekend found success at the State Farm Games, competing against Pitt, WVU, Slippery Rock, Seton Hill, Frostburg, IUP, Juniata, Hagerstown, and Duquesne. Tony Dipre easily won the 5000m, finishing 33 seconds ahead of the second place runner. Joe McMahon was third in the triple jump and fifth in the finals of the 60m dash, qualifying for the conference championships in both events. Beth Muller finished fourth and qualified for the conference meet in her first 400m. Sam Zink and Katie Stancik were fifth and seventh respectively in the 1000m, and Jeramie Parker came in third in the same race, which is not contested at the championship meets. Taylor Throckmorton continued a great freshman season by winning his heat to finish third overall in the 500m.

Coming up, the team will travel to the NCAC Relay meet at Denison.

Kent State #2--January 17th

The Allegheny Gators returned to action at Kent State after a long winter vacation. Despite the break, many team members surpassed expectations. Darryl Overton threw a new PR and conference qualifier of 45'5.25" in his first shot put of the year. In the women's weight throw, Emily Kiernan also threw a new PR.

For the distance runners, Mia Symoniak ran a new PR and conference qualifying time of 10:32.4. Other women dipping under their previous bests in the event were Sam Zink, Katie Stancik, Angie Dyer, and Kate David. Allegheny women currently have the top 4 times in the conference. Tony Dipre, Ryan Hanson, Jakeb Zimmerman, Chris Marker, Jeramie Parker, and Zac Ross all qualified for the men's conference 3k. In the same race, Greg Eyer ran a new PR, as did Matt Lacombe in his first race back after a cross country injury. Allegheny has the top 7 times on the conference 3k list.

The sprinters added several solid performances. Matt Yurky qualified for the conference meet in the 60m. Freshman Jacob Seigh ran new bests in both the 200 and 400. Taylor Throckmorton, Beth Muller, and Becca Lendyak all qualified in the 200m, with Muller and Lendyak leading the list of conference qualifiers. A limited squad will compete this weekend at West Virginia University, with most of the team returning to the NCAC Relays in two weeks.