Year in and year out, few sports programs at William and Mary have been as consistently excellent as the College’s indoor track and field programs. The Tribe continued to showcase its talent over the weekend at Virginia Tech. The men and women’s teams both finished fourth in their respective divisions and had several top performers.
The men earned an impressive six Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America qualifiers and finished fourth of the 12 teams competing. The Tribe scored 89 points and was a full 36.5 points ahead of the fifth-place team, East Carolina.
On Friday, freshman Davion Hutt scored the top mark in both the 60-meter and 200-meter events and ran the seventh-fastest 60-meter in the history of the College. Hutt earned an IC4A qualifier in both events.
Redshirt junior Brian Waterfield also earned a qualification in the weight throw. Junior Ricky Cappetta and sophomore Lucas Wratschko placed third in their events; Cappetta ran the 1,000-meter, while Wratschko competed in the pole vault,.
Waterfield tallied a 16.3-meter put Saturday, good for another third-place finish and IC4A qualification. Sophomore pole-vaulter Derek O’Connell and the Tribe’s 4×800-meter relay both qualified for the IC4As as well.
The women’s team also had a strong weekend, finishing fourth of 14 teams. The College finished 10 points behind top finisher and host Virginia Tech. Several athletes qualified for the East Coast Athletic Conference Championships, including four in the mile.
Freshman Reagan Rome set the pace for the Tribe, finishing in fifth place with a time of 4:55.31. Junior Meghan McGovern finished sixth at 4:56.35, easily qualifying for the ECAC Championships. Freshman Molly Breidenbaugh and senior Heather Clagett also qualified, finishing ninth and tenth, respectively.
The College carried its momentum into Saturday, adding two more championship qualifications. Senior Lizzie Powell qualified in the high jump, clearing 3.82 meters. The 4×800-meter relay team also earned a qualification, running the event in 9:15.68 to finish first overall in the event.
The men and women look to earn more qualifying spots at the final race of the regular season at the aptly-named Mason Last Chance. The competition takes place at George Mason Sunday.
Then the College enters its respective conference championships, where it hopes to qualify for the National Collegiate Athletic Association championship. After those wrap up mid-March, the teams barely have time to catch their breaths before outdoor season begins.