The Wesleyan track team took part in the Minutemen Invitational in Amherst, Mass. on Saturday, April 14. The annual event hosted by UMass-Amherst pitted the Cards against their toughest competition to date as Division I teams such as Boston College, Holy Cross, UMass-Amherst, Central Connecticut State, and American International were among the field. As a result, it was a rough day for the Cardinals from a team standpoint, as the men placed ninth out of the 13 competing teams, while the women finished last out of 15.
It was a particularly trying day for the Wesleyan women this past weekend, as only three of the Lady Cards were able to garner points. Kimora Brock ’15 earned the highest placing for the women with a third-place performance in the 400m sprint. Brock’s impressive time of 59.14 fell short of second place by only six-tenths of a second and was still tops among all competitors from Division III schools. Sprinter Julia Frieze ’12 also produced points in the 400m by finishing in eighth place with a season best time of 1:00.46. Geneva Jonathan ’15 was one of the only other bright spots, as she earned points with a seventh place effort in the 400m hurdles. Jonathan’s time of 1:07.74 was her best mark in the 400m hurdles in her young outdoor collegiate career.
In spite of its ninth place result, the men’s team had strong individual performances from its usual contingent of star performers. Tommie Lark ’12 led the way once again for the Cardinals by jumping 14.54m to win the Triple Jump competition. The All-American’s performance at Amherst was an especially encouraging sight, since it was his first time competing in the triple jump this outdoor season. Chris Sailor ’15 and Alex Iwamoto ’12 placed third and fifth respectively, which created a 1-3-5 finish for Wesleyan in the event. Sailor added to his day with a sixth place showing in the long jump to capture points for the Cards.
Standout LaDarius Drew ’15 had yet another outstanding day, as he posted season bests in both the 100m and 200m dashes. Drew’s 11.26 in the 100m placed him in third place out of the fifty-five participants, while his 22.25 in the 200m enabled him to secure fifth out of seventy-two. Drew also anchored the men’s 4x100m relay team featuring Lark, Iwamoto, and Paulie Lowther ’13. The team clocked a time of 43.63, which was good enough for sixth place out of twelve. Austin Cotant ’13 was the final point-getter for Wesleyan; he ran the 1500m in 3:57.00 to capture third place.
The Wesleyan track team will head back home to the Andersen Track next Saturday, April 21, for the annual Little Three Meet with Williams and Amherst. Williams heads into the competition as the perennial favorite since the team has dominated the Little Three Meet for well over twenty years. The Williams men head to Middletown, having won the past twenty-three titles, while the Williams women have won twenty-six consecutive Little Three titles.