Princeton University Athletics
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Princeton Looks to Retain Title as it Hosts Ivy Heps This Weekend
May 05, 2016 | Men's Track and Field
Online: Webstream (simulcast) ILDN & FloTrack (Sunday only) l Live Results
Meet Day: Schedule l Directions l Parking l Tickets
Social Media: #IvyHeps l @PrincetonTrack l @PUTigers_Live l @HepsTrack l @Ivy_Athletics
PRINCETON, N.J. (5/5/16) – This weekend Princeton University and Weaver Stadium will be electric as the 2016 Ivy League Outdoor Heptagonal Championships returns to campus for the first time since 2013.
The Tigers are the regining outdoor champions, winning last year by a score of 163-159.5, over Cornell taking the title in the final event of the day - the decathlon 1500. It helped secure Princeton its seventh Triple Crown in program history. Overall, Princeton has won 16 outdoor Heps titles, including four in the last five years.
The meet begins on Saturday at 10 a.m., with the hammer throw at West Windsor Fields, the only event not at Weaver Stadium, though still on campus. The first track event will be the at 1 p.m., the 1500 semifinals.
Sunday's action will be simulcast streamed live on both the Ivy League Digital Network and FloTrack. Live results will also be available for both teams and there's a number of ways to follow along on social media, which links provided above.
SPRINTS & HURDLESPrinceton's talented sprints corps is no longer a secret. Sophomore Carrington Akosa, who was named the Most Outstanding Track Performer of the Meet indoors, after winning the 200 and taking second in the 60 is ready. He has the second-best time in the 100 at 10.67, slotted between two Cornell sprinters. He was fourth in the event as a freshman. Junior Brent Albertson and freshman Charles Volker add times of 10.85 and 10.86 in the 100. Akosa has the second-best time in the league with a 21.25, he was third in the event last year. Senior Daniel McCord is seventh in the event at 21.62 and has been a two-time scorer outdoors. Other potential scorers in the short sprints include freshman Josh Billington and sophomore Joshua Freeman.
Senior co-captain Greg Caldwell has scored in ever Heps hurdle event he has entered, including two runner-up finishes the last two years. He enters the weekend with the fifth-best time in the league at 14.36 and has a PR of 14.23. Sophomore James Burns and freshman Sebastian Silveria back up with times of 15.14 and 15.38.
In the long hurdles, junior Greg Leeper is not far out of first after a PR of 52.32 at the Princeton Outdoor Invitational. He has scored in this event before. Sophomore Spencer Long is fourth with a 52.74 from Larry Ellis, while freshman Christian Fryer-Davis and senior Jordan Myers ranked in the top 10 in the league as well.
Junior Ray Mennin hopes to repeat as the 400 champion, after winning indoors. He has the second-best time in the league at 47.03 from the Florida Relays and was fifth in the event last outdoor season. A scorer during indoors, Freeman looks to grab some points outdoors as well and has a season best 48.34.
MIDDLE DISTANCE
Princeton returns two 800 scorers from a year ago in sophomores Josh Ingalls and Noah Kauppila. The pair are coming off of matching wins during indoor Heps. Ingalls won the 800, while Kauppila claimed the 1,000 win. Kauppila has a 1:52.24 this season, but has a PR of 1:49.58. Don't overlook senior Luke Brahm, who was the runner-up in the 1,000 and has the best time for the team in the event at 1:51.84 from the Florida Relays.
Kauppila along with sophomore Garrett O'Toole highlight the top times in the 1500. O'Toole has the second-best time in the Ivies at 3:41.85. He was the runner-up in the indoor mile. Kauppila is fourth in the league with a 3:43.38. Brahm adds a PR of 3:46.73 from the Larry Ellis Invite.
DISTANCE
Kauppila's name continues to make the descending order list in distance races. He ranks seventh in the 5k at 14:07.33. Freshman Jeremy Spiezio is 11th at 14:14.77 from Penn Relays. Spiezio had a great freshman cross country season and was the top finisher at Regionals.
Senior Michael Sublette vies for his first Ivy title in the 10k. He has the fourth best time in the league at 29:37.90 from the Stanford Invite. Sublette who has been a standout cross country runner the last couple of years, could be helped by senior Bretty Keklly and junior Jack Leahey who have both run under 31 this year.
After taking the indoor season off, senior Eddie Owens is primed for a return to Heps in the steeple. He currently has the fifth-best time in the league at 9:00.97 from the Stanford Invite and has a PR of 8:46.41. Owens was third in the steeple in 2012.
RELAYS
The 4x100 relay has a five-year tradition of finishing in second place, but this could be the year they push ahead. The Tigers are second to Cornell, 40.56 to 40.43 in the event this year. The 4x400 clocked a 3:11.92 at the Florida Relays, the third best time in the league and was fourth a year ago. The 4x800 is also third entering the meet at 7:46.39 from Penn Relays and was third last year.
JUMPS
The Tigers will look to get a 1-2 punch from senior Adam Bragg and sophomore August Kiles in the pole vault. They are the only two vaulted in the league to clear over 17 feet. Bragg is the leader at 5.50 (18-0.5) with Kiles second at 5.20 (17-0.75). Bragg is the reigning outdoors champion, while Kiles took the win indoors while Bragg did not compete. Junior Ben Gaylord could score as well, as he has cleared 4.85 (15-11) which ranks seventh.
The reigning indoor high jump champion Xavier Bledsoe looks to claim his second consecutive title. He has cleared 2.12 (6-11.5) this season to sit in third place in the league. Sophomore Colin Reilly is sixth at 2.02 (6-7.5)
Though last year's long jump champion Tumi Akinlawon has graduated, Princeton still has senior Jake Scinto and Leeper who have scorer in the event before. Scinto has the best mark for the Tigers at 7.16 (23-6) to rank fifth, while Leeper's 7.09 (23-3.25) is tied for eighth. Another contender in the triple is sophomore Lane Russell. As a freshman, Russell was fourth indoors and sixth outdoors. He missed the indoor season but is back and ready just in time to pick up some points.
THROWS
During the indoor Heps, junior Chris Cook and sophomore Mitchel Charles delievered a 1-2 finish in the shot put and hope to do so again this weekend. They have the furthest throws in the league at 17.96 (58-11.25) and 17.56 (57-7.5) - the only two to reach 57 feet. Junior Jared Bell is eighth in the league with a 16.30 (53-5.75). Cook was second outdoors in 2015 and third in 2014.
The trio look to earn points in the discus as well. Charles as the best throw of the three this season at 53.29 (174-10) - and fourth best in the league, while Bell's 52.26 (171-5) is fifth. Cook reached 49.08 (161) at USF and was third at Heps last year and sixth as a freshman.
Freshman Adam Kelly is the Tigers' best hope to win the hammer and has an excellent chance at that. He has the second-best throw in the league at 66.57 (218-5). Junior Vic Youn is sixth at 59.21 (194-3).
MULTI
Though the team will be without last year's decathlon champion and All-American Stephen Soerens, fourth-place scorer Bryan Oslin is back and looks to finish his senior year on a high note. He has competed in the decathlon just one this season for a 5,330 points but has a PR of 6,485. Sophomore James Burns recorded a PR of 6,078 at the Princeton Outdoor Invite, the sixth-highest total in the league this year.