The Tribe men raced to an early lead Friday and carried that momentum into Saturday to capture the team title at the 43rd Colonial Relays.
Four wins and eight top-three finishes pushed the College past Michigan State University in the team standings, totaling 101 points to the Spartans’ 88.
“Obviously, we were pleased with our win at our own home invitational,” men’s Head Coach Alex Gibby said. “It was a product of several things, our traditional distance strength, help in the middle-distances from our younger guys and field event standouts.”
Senior Ian Fitzgerald’s Friday victory in the 1,500-meter run followed sophomore Harry Miller’s runner-up finish in the 3,000-m steeplechase, giving the Tribe an early advantage. Fitzgerald surged down the homestretch to win in three minutes, 50.7 seconds to qualify for the IC4As. Meanwhile, Miller’s strong finish pushed him to a personal-best 9:05.38 and an NCAA Regional qualifier.
Saturday, the College added a field crown to its total when junior high jumper Cam Shriver tied his personal best height of 6’10.75,” edging out Seton Hall University’s Nicholas Frimpong by clearing the height in fewer attempts. One last track triumph secured the championship for the Tribe as the 4 x 1,500-m relay team of Fitzgerald, junior Karl Lang, freshman Patterson Wilhelm and sophomore Ben Massam cruised to an easy victory.
In Friday night’s distance action, Massam led a Tribe sweep in the 5,000-m run, winning in 14:21.81, as Wilhelm and sophomore Charlie Swartz finished close behind in IC4A qualifying times.
The College women also raced well this weekend, finishing third. The Tribe used four individual wins and one relay victory to take a lead in the team standings, but these efforts were not enough to hold off the competition as Michigan State University rallied, winning four events and earning runner-up finishes in a trio of relay events to take the meet.
Junior Ashley Madonick hammered her 400-m leg of the distance medley relay to help the College win the race. After receiving the baton, Madonick quickly ate into Georgetown University’s advantage and overtook the Hoyas’ runner, giving the College a lead that would only grow. Sophomore Nicole Kazuba captured the pole vault event by clearing 12’3.5.”
Friday’s competition saw the Tribe women amass 68 points and take a 26-point lead as its distance runners took three of four events. Freshman Betsy Graney opened the day for the College with an NCAA Regional qualifier in the 3,000-m steeplechase, while junior Lynn Morelli captured the 5,000-m title, hitting the IC4A standard. Senior Katie Endres capped the Tribe’s opening day performance with a victory in the 10,000-m. Sophomore Emily Anderson extended her string of impressive performances, finishing second and running 4:26.87 in the 1,500-m for a personal-best and NCAA Regional qualifier.
