The men’s and women’s track teams traveled to the Tufts Stampede Invitational last weekend, where they competed with both Division I and III teams. The Wes men and women proved they were a force to be reckoned with by  running with NESCAC rivals Williams and Connecticut College.

The Cardinal women soared to a third-place finish with 94 team points in a field of 19 squads. Two first-place finishes highlighted this team effort. Heidi Hirvonen ’15 won the 400m dash in 1:00.54 and contributed to Wesleyan’s win in the 4x400m relay, the team winning with a time of 4:06.28. Joining Hirvonen in the relay victory were Julia Frieze ’12, Ambrosia Smith ’15, and Kimora Brock ’15. Frieze also had a third place victory in the 600m (1:40.92), while Smith grabbed fourth in the 800m (2:25.04) and Brock was third in the high jump (4-11 3/4).

Wesleyan distance runners also torched the track. Many runners had season or career personal records, notably Alanah Hall ’15, who ran to an outstanding second place finish in the 3000m race. Hall’s time of 10:32.85 is a personal record in her short time at Wesleyan. Right behind her was Libby Lazare ’14, who took third with a time of 10:35.04. This is an impressive time for Lazare, who has been battling injury throughout the season. Julia Mark ’13 finished third in the 1000m (3:04.31), while Ceili Brennan ’13 finished second in the mile (5:17.81). These remarkable times bode well for all these athletes as they seek to qualify for the ECAC Indoor Track Championships.

The men’s team finished with 31 teams points to place 11th of 22 teams. The 4x200m relay squad of Ernest Wingate ’14, Jack Pacelle ’13, Luca Ameri ’15, and LaDarius Drew ’15 won its race with a time of 1:33.58, which accounted for nearly one-third of the Cardinals’ points. Eight other points came from a second-place triple jump from Alex Iwamoto ’12, while Sam Roth ’13 added five points with his fourth-place effort in the 1000m.

Both the men’s and women’s squads will be back in action on February 11th when Wesleyan hosts the Collegiate Track Championships.