Both the mens and womens indoor track teams spent last Saturday at Northeastern University participating in the New Balance Winter Carnival. The meet was the only one scheduled for the Judges before the upcoming winter break, so the coaching staff used it as an opportunity to see where the teams fitness stood without having to worry about scoring, which was not kept. The indoor track season officially resumes Jan. 14, when the Judges travel to an invitational meet at Bowdoin University in Brunswick, Maine.
The meet went very well, said coach John Evans. It was a good start to the indoor track season. It is a tough meet to start with, with many top D1 schools, but the team did very well. We just wanted to see where everyones fitness is right now and the team showed that they are on track for a good season.
The meet featured schools from all three NCAA divisions, but even against such stiff competition a few of the Judges were able to distinguish themselves from the pack. Ryan Parker 06 placed first in Division 3 and second overall in the mile with a time of 4:17. Matt Jennings 09 was also impressive, finishing in 4:27, which was good enough for eighth place. In the 400, Ralph Cherry 08 was the top Division 3 runner, finishing the very difficult race in 50.66 seconds. Completing a trifecta of D3 victories, David Weinstein 08 finished the 200 in 22.78 seconds, which was also fast enough for fourth overall.
The womens team was also able to produce a handful of exceptional performances. Kate Henry 09 began her collegiate career by finishing as the top D3 runner in the 200 with a time of 27.37. Meghan Casey 09 and Alyssa Ross 07 finished first and second in D3, and third and fifth overall, in the 800 meter run, with times of 2:24 and 2:27, respectively. Jane Farrell '06, who was an All-American last year, was the top D3 finisher in the pole vault, with a jump of 3.33 meters.
The only chance to catch the indoor track team at Brandeis this year will be on Saturday, Jan. 21, when the Reggie Poyau Memorial Meet is held at Gosman.
