At Stake? A Triple Crown as Princeton Goes for Ivy Heps Title This Weekend

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At Stake? A Triple Crown as Princeton Goes for Ivy Heps Title This Weekend

May 03, 2018 | Men's Track and Field

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All eyes are on the Princeton men's track & field team as it heads to the 2018 Ivy League Outdoor Heptagonal Championship this weekend at Franklin Field. The Tigers are in pursuit of their eighth triple crown after having won both the cross country and indoor titles.

The Tigers have won the outdoor championship five times in the last seven years (2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017) with triple crowns in 2011, 2012 and 2015. Princeton's main contender as of late has been Cornell who is the only other team to have won the title in the last 15 years. This year Princeton will be in a battle with the host Penn, a program looking for its first title since 2002.

The meet begins on Saturday at 11 a.m., with the first event of the decathlon, as well as the men's hammer throw. The first track qualifying race will be the 110-meter hurdles at 1 p.m. Both days action will be broadcast on the Ivy League Network and ESPN+, Saturday beginning at 12:45 p.m., and Sunday at 11:45 a.m.

SPRINTS & HURDLES
Sophomore Joey Daniels was named the co-Most Outstanding Performer at indoor Heps after winning the 60-meter hurdles in a Heps record time. He is also the defending Ivy champion in the 110-meter hurdles. With a time of 13.80 from last week's Penn Relays, Daniels is the only hurdler in the league to clock under 14 seconds and looks to set the meet record time by besting 13.86. His 13.80 is not only a Princeton record but is the fourth-fastest time in Ivy history. Junior

The Tigers have three scoring options in the 400 hurdles with senior Spencer Long, sophomore Gab Montefalcone and sophomore Justice Dixon. Long was the runner-up in the event a year ago and third in 2016 and sports the sixth best time this season with a 53.26 while owning a PR of 52.61. Montefalcone and Dixon both rank in the top 10 in the league, with Montefalcone seventh with a 53.29 and Dixon a 54.24.

In the short sprints, Princeton will look to senior co-captain Carrington Akosa. Akosa has earned 88 points all on his own during his Heps career, not including relays. Last spring an injury kept him from competing in the finals. Akosa was the runner-up in the 100 in 2016 and fourth in 2016. This season he clocked a PR of 10.45, the second fastest time in Princeton history. The Tigers have depth in the fastest event on the track with freshman Austin Carbone ranking sixth in the league with a 10.75, sophomore Joseph McGrath seventh at 10.77 and junior Charlie Volker ninth at 10.78. Volker was the runner-up last year and third in 2016.

In the 200, Akosa has taken third twice in 2016 and 2015 and enters the meet with the third best time in the league this season at 21.07. Carbone, McGrath and Volker again can factor into the scoring with Volker being a veteran who claimed fifth a year ago.

In the indoor 400 champion, senior Josh Freeman looks to win his first individual outdoor title. He was second outdoor in 2017 and anchored the Tigers in the 4x400. Freeman has a PR of 47.02 and has a season-best 47.63 to sit third in the league standings. Sophomore Connor Matthews and senior Brennan O'Connor could challenge for scoring slots as well.

MIDDLE DISTANCE
Senior Noah Kauppila enters the weekend knowing he has scored in the 800 every single spring. He was sixth last year and fourth in both 2016 and 2015, in addition to being the runner-up to a teammate in the indoor Heps mile in February. He has not run this event this spring but has the history to compete. The Tigers top time in the 800 this spring comes from senior Josh Ingalls. He has a 1:50.03, the second-best time in the league. Joining him is freshman Sam Ellis with a 1:52.06. Ellis scored in his very first Heps, this past February in this same event, finishing fourth.

The Tigers bring depth into the 1500. Senior Garrett O'Toole who won the indoor mile has the second-best time in the league at 3:43.37. In 2017 O'Toole was fourth in this event. Other previous scorers include senior William Paulson, who was the runner-up last year and third as a freshman. He has the fourth best time this season with a 3:43.87. Kauppila is in the top 10 in the league at 3:47.27 and followed not far behind by sophomore Conor Lundy in 12th at 3:48.19.

DISTANCE
Half of the top-10 times in the 5k in the Ivy League are Tigers. O'Toole at 14:06.13 and Lundy at 14:07.99 have the fourth and fifth best times in the league. Taking spots 8-9-10 are freshman Matt Grossman, junior Jeremy Spiezio and sophomore Gannon Willcutts. A scorer in the 5k indoors, senior Rob Stone has been primed all season to take on the 10k. There are only three distance runners in the league that have clocked under 30 minutes this season, with Stone having the best time at 29:36.24. Willcutts is second with a 29:46.29. Though he has not run a 10k this season, sophomore Viraj Deokar was a scorer last year taking sixth place.

Freshman Ed Trippas and sophomore Perrin Hagge have both have tremendous seasons and will vie for points in the steeplechase. Trippas has the fourth-best time in the league at 9:00.54, while Hagge is fifth with a 9:03.83.

RELAYS
The 4x100 relay has been shutting it down all season, posting a school record 40.05 at the Texas Invitational. That relay was composed of Volker, Carbone, Daniels and Akosa. Last year the relay took third place and won in 2016. The 4x400 grabbed big points for the Tigers last year with a third-place finish above Cornell to secure the win. This season the 4x4 comes into the weekend with the third fastest time at 3:12.79. That relay was made up of Carbone, Bransford, O'Connor and Freeman – though Matthews could be a leg as well. Princeton has the best time in the 4x800 with a 7:25.76 coming on the Franklin Field track last week. Aririguzoh, Kauppila, Ellis and Ingalls made up that relay.

JUMPS
Senior August Kiles has either finished as the champion or the runner-up in every single Heps pole vault he's competed in, seven total, with one remaining. The reigning indoor and outdoor champion looks to avoid a jump off with Penn's Sean Clarke, as happened indoors. Kiles is second in the league behind Clarke 5.33-5.23 – just four inches separating the two. Kiles has a PR of 5.42 (17-9.25). Freshman Noah Hurley and Jack Cahillane are in the top 10 in the league as well at 4.90 and 4.85, respectively.

The reigning indoor high jump champion freshman Jeffrey Hollis looks for his second consecutive title. Indoors he jumped 2.14 (7-0.25), and he has cleared 2.04 (6-8.25) outdoors to rank fifth in the league. Junior Andrew Diehl who also has scored twice indoors in the high jump is also fifth with a 2.04 (6-8.25).

In the long jump, a pair of young Tigers will challenge for high places on the score chart. Freshman Gilron Tsabkevich has the second-best mark in the league with a 7.31 (23-11.75) and he took third place indoors. Sophomore Jesse Thibodeau was the runner-up indoors and has the third best distance this outdoor season with a 7.27 (23-10.25).

Flipping the case in the triple jump, two veterans look to tally up the points. Senior Lane Russell has the third-best mark in the league with a 15.25 (50-0.5) from just last week at the Penn Relays. He has a PR of 15.79 (51-9.5) and has scored in the triple jump four times during his career. Junior Stefan Amokwandoh's 14.94 (49-0.25) ranks fifth this season, while he has a PR of 15.71 (51-6.5) that has helped him score in four of four Heps triples.

THROWS
Princeton has a strong potential to win three of the four throwing events and earning major points in the throws altogether. Junior Adam Kelly ranks seventh nationally in the hammer throw and is tops in the league with a 71.92 (235-11). No other thrower in the league has been able to crack 68 meters this year.

Senior Mitchel Charles and freshman Kelton Chastulik will provide a 1-2 punch in the shot put. Charles has the best mark with a 16.85 (55-3.5) and has either been the winner of runner-up in his five times competing in a Heps shot put event. Chastulik, who was third indoors, has the third best mark outdoors with a 16.21 (53-2.25).

The runner-up in the discus last year Charles should score again this year. He has the second-longest throw in the league with a 51.57 (169-2). The only thrower in the league to do better? Princeton freshman Robbie Otal. Otal has a league best 52.78 (173-2) and looks to take the crown in his first ever Heps.

MULTIS
The decathlon has hopes on James Burns who has a PR of 6,078. Both competed in the Penn Relays decathlon to prepare for this weekend. Dixon and Lord, who were both scorers last spring have not competed in the multis this season. Another option here could be pole vaulter August Kiles, who was a scorer in the heptathlon indoors.