Aaron Johnson
The PA announcer blasting times, distances, finishes, and heats; the starting gun echoing across the field; the coaches and spectators clapping, yelling, and timing from the sidelines. Such was the scene Saturday as the track and field team played host to the annual Washington University Invitational, which this year attracted some 1000 athletes and 30 teams to historic Francis Field. Under sunny skies and temperatures in the 50’s – almost perfect running weather, except for the breeze that kicked up in the afternoon – athletes from across Division III competed in a host of running, throwing, and jumping events that took all day to complete.
Just two weeks before the pivotal UAA championships in Atlanta, the meet was a chance for the Bears, both men and women, to shine at their home track in front of friends and family while inching closer to the all-important provisional qualifications for nationals. And shine they did, bringing home some 34 top ten finishes, including 13 top three’s and four first places.
While the Bears were racking up some quality times and finishes, head track and field coach Steve Rubin was laboring away, ensuring that the meet went off without a hitch.
“Putting on such a huge meet is difficult; it requires lots of volunteer help from people to help check athletes and officials to run the races,” Rubin said,
Trying to keep the event running smoothly forced Rubin to, “only ask the kids how they finished, instead of watching their races or attempts.”
“That is the price you pay for having a home meet, but the good thing is that kids get to run in front of their families and friends,” said Rubin.
The WU athletes seemed to really enjoy having the meet at home.
“It gives us a chance to sleep in and not have to take a three hour bus ride somewhere else,” Freshman 400m runner Lance Moen said. “It is also nice to be familiar with the surface you are running on.”
Moen posted a personal best time of 48.81 in the 400m, which was good enough for second place. “[The personal best time] was a good step in the outdoor season that I hope to build on for nationals,” said Moen.
Other runners shared in Moen’s success. Hallie Hutchins, a freshman basketball player, posted a time of 15.15 seconds in the 100m hurdles – good enough for first place and a provisional qualification for nationals.
Another hurdler, senior Laura Prolo, also earned first place honors by turning in a 1:05.81 time in the 400m hurdles. Also on the women’s side, sophomore Emily Lahowetz qualified for nationals in the 5,000m, posting a time of 17:40.75 and finishing second in the race.
The WU women were equally dominant in the field events. Junior Elizabeth Stoll garnered first place in the javelin with a 34.17m throw and second place in the high jump, leaping 1.53m. Sophomore Sarah Springer placed second in the pole vault, clearing a height of 3.05m.
“The women’s team is extremely strong and they are dominating the UAA. It has become harder and harder to find challenges for them at the conference level,” said Rubin. “The women’s team now needs to make the jump to national prominence.”
Commenting on the men’s team, Rubin said, “The men’s team is younger and has a lot of potential.” This potential started to yield results on Saturday, as several runners posted personal best times and four cracked the top three: Moen in the 400m, senior Pat McDonald and sophomore Matt Hoelle in the 10,000m, and sophomore Darius Viet in the steeple chase. Viet posted a 9:28.20, which was good enough to win what Rubin dubbed “the most exciting event of the invitational.” McDonald and Hoelle finished second and third in the 10,000m, posting times of 31:30.18 and 31:32.59, respectively.
Overall, the meet was a ringing success – perhaps too successful, as the biggest problem encountered was the logistical issue of having 80 runners entered in the men’s 5000m. WU track and field will look to gain momentum from this past weekend’s meet as they prepare for the UAA championships at Emory April 19th and 20th.
contact Matt at [email protected]