Princeton Tries to Complete Triple Crown as Tigers Host Ivy Heps

Saturday, May 4

Princeton, N.J.

Princeton University

Ivy Heps

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Photo by: Beverly Schaefer

Princeton Tries to Complete Triple Crown as Tigers Host Ivy Heps

May 01, 2019 | Men's Track and Field

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It's a culmination of months of hard work as Princeton looks to complete the Triple Crown as the Tigers host the 2019 Ivy League Outdoor Heptagonal Championship this weekend at Weaver Stadium.

The Tigers began the journey with a cross country championship in October before an indoor title in February.

This would be the second consecutive Triple Crown, fifth in the last nine years and eighth in program history.

Princeton has won the outdoor championship the last two seasons and six times in the last decade.

The meet begins on Saturday at 11:30 a.m., with the first event of the decathlon, the 100 dash. The first final on Saturday is the men's hammer at noon, while the first qualifying race on the track at 3:15 p.m.

Both days action will be broadcast on the Ivy League Network and ESPN+, Saturday beginning at 1 p.m., both days.

SPRINTS & HURDLES
With Princeton owning three of the top 10 times in the league in 110-meter hurdles, the Tigers should shine at the finish line. Junior Joey Daniels has finished either first or second the last two Ivy Heps, and is one of just two hurdles to clock under 14 seconds in the event. Daniels best time of the season is a 13.84 with his PR of 13.70 – a Princeton record. Freshman Christian Brown, a two-sport athlete from the Princeton Ivy Champion football team, has the fourth fastest time in the league with a 14.21 and has the second-best time in Princeton history in just his first year with the program. Another strong contender is freshman Taraje Whitfield, who will likely double in the hurdles. He has a 14.61 on the season, seventh best in the league in the 110-meter hurdles and has the second fastest time in the league in the intermediate hurdles with a 52.52. That time was run on this track last month and is the seventh fastest time in Princeton history. Junior Gab Montefalcone is also in Princeton's top-10 with a 52.56 which is the third fastest time in the league this season. Junior Justice Dixon was a scorer in this event last year and has a season-best 54.80 to rank 12th in the league.

In the short sprints, the Tigers will look to its young talent: Freshman Greg Sholars freshman Simang'aliso Ndhlovu and sophomore Austin Carbone. Sholars has a 10.56 in the 100 to rank fourth in the league while Ndlovu is sixth with a 10.62 and Carbone eighth at 10.80. Both Scholars and Ndlovu's times are on Princeton's top-10 list. Ndlovu was the runner-up in the 60 indoor while Sholars was the runner-up in the indoor 200. He currently ranks seventh in the league with a 21.60. Carbone has a 21.84 and Ndlovu a 21.90.

The Tigers have three of the top times in the league in the 400, led by freshman Michael Phillippy and his 48.29 which ranks him sixth in the league. Junior Connor Matthews is also in the top 10 in the league with a 48.65 and senior Cole Bransford comes in 11th with a 49.13.

MIDDLE DISTANCE & DISTANCE
With a strong distance and middle distance corps, as evidenced by winning the last two Ivy Heps cross country titles, the Tigers can do some damage in this area.

Sophomore Sam Ellis has Tigers top time in the 800 and has the best time in the 1500 with a 3:45.92, while competing in the Olympic Development 1500 at Penn Relays. Seniors Conor Lundy and Jeremy Spiezio also rank in the top-10 in the league with a 3:45.96 and 3:46.69 respectively.

Four of the top nine times in the 5k in the league have been posted by Tigers. Lundy has the second-fastest time with a 13:53.98 which also ranks him seventh on Princeton's top-10 list. Junior Matt Grossman is fourth with a 14:06.59, Spiezio is sixth with a 14:09.65 and junior Viraj Deokar is ninth with a 14:13.40.

Last year Lundy doubled in the 5k and 10k taking third and fourth, with the possibility of him doubling in the 1500 and 5k this year.

Deokar boasts the top time for the Tigers in the 10k with a 29:34.18. Freshman Jakob Kintzele is close to breaking the 30-minute barrier with a 30:14.37 to rank seven the in the league while junior Gannon Willcutts is 10th with a 30:20.59. Willcutts was third in the 10k last year.

Sophomore Ed Trippas was fourth in last year's steeplechase and looks to move up in the scoring as he enters the weekend with the second-best time in the league at 8:50.09. Kintzele has a 9:14.71 to rank 11th in the league.

RELAYS
Princeton looks to repeat the success it had in the relays from 2018 when the 4x100 won and the 4x400 and 4x800 both took second for 26 points. The 4x100 is again in prime position with the best time in the league with a 40.80. The 4x400 is just hundredths of a second back from first with a 3:10.96. Princeton hasn't comprised a 4x800 this season.

JUMPS
All three of Princeton's high jumpers could score this weekend. Sophomore Jeffrey Hollis was second indoors and last spring and looks to break through with a win. He has the best jump in the league with a 2.12 (6-11.5). Right behind him is senior Andrew Diehl with a 2.09 (6-10.25). Diehl was fourth a year ago and third indoors in the event. Sophomore Jeffrey Lee-Heidenreich is seventh in the league with a 2.00 (6-6.75) and was a scorer indoors.

In the pole vault, the Tigers will look to freshman Will Drury and junior Noah Hurley to grab points. Drury has had the best height on the team with a 4.95 (16-2.75) while Hurley has a 4.80 (15-9).

The long jump could come down to another Princeton/Cornell battle as the two teams make up seven of the top 10 marks in the league. Junior Jesse Thibodeau leads the league with a 7.87 (25-10) which is the 13th best mark in the nation. Thibodeau has scored in the Heps long jump three times including third place at Indoors in February. Sophomore Gilron Tsabkevich owns a 7.25 (23-9.25), freshman Andrei Iosivas has a 7.24 (23-9) and freshman Avriam Shwarzbard has a 7.18 (23-6.75). Princeton had 12 points in this event at Indoors – with Thibodeau third, Shwarzbard fourth and Tsabkevich fifth.

Princeton's freshman Austin Princewill and Dayo Abeeb impressed indoors going 2-3 in the triple jump. Senior Stefan Amokwandoh has been a scorer five times in this event, taking second place last spring. He has the ninth best jump in the league this year with a 14.98 (49-1.75) and owns a PR of 15.71 (51-6.5). Princewill has a PR of 15.52 (50-11) and Abeeb has a 15.46 (50-8.75).

THROWS
Princeton should get a number of points from the throws – one of the strongest areas for the team.

Senior All-America Adam Kelly looks to repeat as the Ivy champion in the hammer throw. He was second as both a freshman and a sophomore and was the NCAA runner-up in the weight throw this February. He is the only thrower in the league to throw past 70 meters with his best throw of the season coming in a 71.34 (234-1) and has a PR of 71.92 (235-11). Kelly enters the weekend with the eighth best throw in the NCAA this season.

Sophomore Kelton Chastulik has the best mark in the league in the shot put with a 17.96 (58-11.25), which ranks him sixth on Princeton's all-time top-10 list.

In the discus, sophomore Robbie Otal enters the weekend with the third-best mark in the event with a 56.33 (184-10) and took second in the event last year.

Another strong contender for an individual championship is freshman Chandler Ault in the javelin. He has the second-best mark in the league with a 67.19 (220-5) and is the first Tiger to break into the program top-10 list since 2006.

MULTIS
Juniors Justice Dixon and Harry Lord have both been scorers in the decathlon before and they could be joined by Andrei Iosivas to bring in points for the Tigers. Lord has a PR of 6,538 and Dixon has a 6,439 in the decathlon. Iosivas is coming off of a victory in his first ever Heps, taking the heptathlon during Indoor Ivy Heps.