Princeton University Athletics
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Women's Track & Field Goes For the Trifecta This Weekend at Heps
May 04, 2010 | Women's Track and Field
2010 Ivy League Outdoor Heptagonal Championships
PRINCETON, N.J. (5/4/10) - Princeton's Weaver Stadium will serve as the site of the 2010 Ivy League Heptagonal Championships on May 8-9.
The women's track & field team is looking to complete the Ivy League triple crown after winning the cross country and indoor track & field titles this season. This feat has been accomplished just one time in program history, during the 1980-81 season. Princeton is the reigning outdoor Heps champion, after knocking off Cornell last year ending the Big Red's seven-season streak.
Fans that can't make it to Princeton can check out the live webstreaming and live results, on the link above. Fans can also follow live event-by-event blogging on HepsTrack.com.
The meet will get underway on Saturday at 10 a.m., with the men's hammer throw. The hammer throw facility is located on West Windsor Fields, the site of the cross country course. All other events will be held at Weaver Stadium, the first of which will be the beginning of the men's decathlon at 11 a.m.
SPRINTS & HURDLES
Sophomore Eileen Moran has the second-best time in the league in the 100 at 11.85 and she scored in the event last year. Her time of 24.47 in the 200 ranks her third in the league. During the indoor season, she finished second in the 200 and a third-place finish in 2009. She also took third in the 60 during the winter.
Freshman Abidemi Adenikinju was a scorer in the 60 during the indoor season. Her best time in the 100 this season is 12.51.
Sophomore Daniel Glaeser ranks in the top 10 in the league in the 400 with a mark of 56.18. She is also a steady competitor in the 200 with her best time this season being 25.91
Junior Lauren Barber is the most experienced hurdler the Tigers bring to the track. Barber won the 60-meter hurdles during the indoor season in 2008 and has finished second and third in the 100-meter hurdles during the outdoor season. Her mark of 14.89 in the 100-meter hurdles ranks in the top 10 in the league.Junior Bianca Mathabane also brings a top-10 time in the 100-meter hurdles at 14.81, while freshman Lauren Lewis' time of 1:02.70 in the 400-meter hurdles also ranks in the top 10.
MIDDLE DISTANCE & DISTANCE
Possibly the strongest unit of the track & field team is the middle distance and distance corps with the likes of sophomore Alex Banfich, senior Reilly Kiernan, and juniors Sarah Cummings and Ashley Higginson.
Banfich has excelled in the 1500, 3000, 5000 and 10,000. She has the fourth-best time in the league in the 1500 at 4:24.94. Banfich sports the best time in the league in the 5000 at 16:00.40, an event she finished third in last year. In addition she has finished second in both the mile and 3000 during the indoor season and has been a scorer on two other occasions.
Kiernan won both the 3000 and 5000 during the indoor season, while scoring in both the previous year. Last spring she took second in the 10,000 and she currently has the fifth best time in the event in the league. She also has experience in the steeplechase placing third as a freshman.
Cummings is the league's leader in the 3000 and 10,000. She has run a 9:38.98 in the 3000 and a 33:55.91 in the 10,000. Cummings won the 10,000 last year and was second the previous year. She was a scorer in the 3000 last spring, and has been second and third in the even during the indoor season. Cummings is also a two-time indoor 5000 champion winning in 2009 and 2008, while placing second and third outdoors.
Higginson also brings a tremendous resume. She has the second-best time in the 5000, an event she won in 2008, at 16:02.3. Her time of 9:44.13 in the 3000 ranks fifth in the league. She has finished third in the event twice and scored another time. Higginson is the reigning steeplechase champion and has the best time in the event in the league at 10:04.55. She also won the mile during the indoor season and has a top-10 time in the 10,000.
Freshman Mel Newbery ranks in the top 10 in the league in the 3000, 5000 and 10,000. She has run a 9:50.62 in the 3000, a 16:35.23 in the 5000 and a 39:45.19 in the 10,000.
Junior Libby Bliss was a scorer in the 800 last year and her time of 2:11.16 places her in the top 10 in the league in the event. Freshman Alexis Mikaelian has also run under 2:12 this season.
Other contributors include senior Alexa Glencer and freshman Abby Hewitt who have top 10 times in the 10,000 in the league. Glencer finished third in the 10,000 last year.
RELAYS
The 4x400 relay group enters the meet with the league's best mark at 46.86. The 4x100 ranks third and the 4x800 fifth. The 4x800 finished first indoors in 2010 and 2008.
JUMPS
The reigning pole vault champion freshman Tory Worthen looks to continue her hot streak. She has the second-best mark in the league at 3.97 meters. Teammate Lydia Arias should also contribute after being a scorer during the 2009 indoor season, as well as freshman Lauren Tauscher.
Junior KC Wade is the Tigers' multiple-event athlete. She finished third in the pentathlon in 2009, and has been a scorer in the heptathlon. In addition she brings a mark of 1.67 in the high jump, ranking sixth in the league. This past indoor second she finished second in the high jump. Another possible scorer in the high jump is freshman Megan Skalbeck who has a personal best of 1.65 meters set earlier this season.
Other contributors in the jumps include junior Tiffany Liu has placed second in the triple jump, and senior Aundeah Kearney who has been a scorer in the long jump. Junior Bianca Williams has also been steadily competing in the tripe jump this season and has potential to score.
THROWSPrinceton has four solid throwers, three of which bring a wealth of Heps experience to the pit.
After taking some time off from competition junior Isabell von Loga returned last month. She won the indoor and outdoor shot put in 2008 and ranks ninth in the league with a season-best throw of 13.19 meters.
Junior Thanithia Billings has thrown the shot put to 15.26 meters, the third-best mark in the league this season. During the past two years, she has garnered one second-place finish and three third-place finishes. Billings also has been successful in the weight and hammer throw. She is the indoor weight throw champion and was third in the hammer last spring. Billings currently has the fourth-best mark in the hammer reaching 15.55 meters and sixth in the discus at 42.31 meters.
Junior Emma Ruggiero has the second best mark in the league in the hammer at 57.71 meters. She has steadily improved on her mark all season and scored in the event in 2008. During the indoor season she has scored and finished third in the weight throw. Ruggiero has also competed in the shot and the discus.
In addition, Princeton has sophomore Alyssa Pehmoeller in the hammer throw. Pehmoeller has thrown to 49.13 meters, ranking fifth in the league.