Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Harvard, Yale
Players Mentioned
Women's Track Wins H/Y/P Behind Strong Distance Corps, Relay
February 16, 2008 | Women's Track and Field
Princeton won a close tri-meet Saturday with Harvard and Yale at Coxe Cage in New Haven, using the strength of its distance corps and strong performances by several freshman to emerge victorious. The Tigers finished the meet with 62 points, with Harvard in second with 58 and Yale third with 39 points.
The Tigers sent out a big-time trio in the mile Saturday, and all three ran NCAA championship provisional qualifying marks on the way to the top three finishes in the event. Heps cross country champion Liz Costello ran 4:43.5 to win the event, while classmate Christy Johnson was right behind in 4:44.84. Freshman Ashley Higginson's 4:48 was third and right on the NCAA provisional mark.
Higginson proved to be one of the meet's heroes for Princeton as she also ran the 3,000, winning the event in 9:43.42, an ECAC qualifying mark. Fellow freshman Sarah Cummings was right behind in second, while sophomore Alexa Glencer was third. Both ran ECAC qualifying times, as did Jolee VanLeuven and Megan Brandeland.
Princeton clinched the meet thanks to its winning two-mile relay group, which won by nearly seven seconds in 9:05.91.
A pair of freshmen also gave the Tigers huge points in the 60-meter hurdles. Lauren Barber first ran an ECAC-qualifying 8.84 in the prelims, then 8.85 to win the finals of the event. Not to be outdone, classmate Bianca Mathabane qualified third in 8.97 but finished second in 8.94 in the final to give Princeton the top two scorers.
The Tigers also got a win from freshman Thanithia Billings in the shot put. Her toss of 44' 3 1/2" was an easy winner Saturday.