After a solid start in their first true & field outdoor meet of the season last week at Coast Guard, the Cardinal track teams faced adversity this week, having to run at Amherst instead of the originally scheduled J. Elmer Swanson Invitational, a home meet that has taken place for the past two decades on this weekend. Due to inclement weather and a scheduling conflict, the meet was moved to allow the men’s lacrosse game against Tufts to take place on the Anderson Track turf field.

Most team members chose to boycott the Amherst meet, citing repeated mistreatment of the track and field teams by the Athletic Department. However, a number of men’s middle-distance runners and throwers made the trip to Amherst with hopes of gaining racing experience against a competitive field, though no members of the women’s team competed at Amherst.

With so few making the trip, the men amassed only five points, leading to a last-place finish out of seven teams. In addition, the men competed in cold, wet, and very windy weather. The meet, however, was not without its bright spots. Despite having only nine entrants across five events, the Cardinals came out with two point-winning performances.

Those showings came in the men’s javelin event, with Julian Carraway ’18 and Josh Prywes ’17 taking fourth and fifth place, respectively. Despite the rain and wind, both Carraway and Prywes improved on their marks from last week at Coast Guard, throwing 42.92m and 38.88m this week, respectively. Carraway also participated in the discus event for the first time this season, placing 10th.

Carraway was somewhat disappointed with his personal performance when talking with The Argus.

“I didn’t do as well as expected,” he said. “However, this early in the season there is always a great deal of room for improvement and many things to work on from a technical standpoint.”

Four of Wesleyan’s talented middle-distance squad competed in the 1500m run as well. After taking first place in the 3000m steeplechase last week, Tate Knight ’18 led the pack of Cardinal runners, finishing 13th out of a field of 49 with a quick time of 4:12.03 and taking third in his heat. Between the first-year pair of Carraway and Knight, the Cardinals have a bright future to look forward to.

“The times were expectedly fairly slow,” said Taylor Titcomb ’16, citing the unpleasant conditions. “The freshmen competed very well considering, which was good to see.”

Competing for the first time this season, Titcomb finished a strong 20th in the large field. Reid Hawkins ’17, who had an impressive second place in the 5000m run last week, hit the finish line right in front of Paul Brauchle ’17, also running for the first time this year. The two finished in 26th and 27th place, respectively.

Finally, Graham Brown ’18 ran in the 800m event for the first time in his collegiate career. In a competitive field, Brown finished 14th out of 31 with a time of 2:03.73.

The members of the team who chose not to run at Amherst did not let the situation get the best of them, however. Many athletes who did not compete at Amherst kept sharp by staging an informal, intra-squad scrimmage at Wesleyan on Saturday morning. Though they had no other teams to compete against, the Cardinals raced hard in the equally brutal conditions; some even accomplished unofficial personal bests, despite the conditions.

Coming up, both the men’s and women’s teams look to come together and make a strong showing at the 15-team, two-day Conn. College Invitational next weekend. The event will feature NESCAC rivals Tufts, Trinity, and the host, Conn. College, none of which the Cardinals have faced yet this season.

After a solid start in their first true & field outdoor meet of the season last week at Coast Guard, the Cardinal track teams faced adversity this week, having to run at Amherst instead of the originally scheduled J. Elmer Swanson Invitational, a home meet that has taken place for the past two decades on this weekend. Due to inclement weather and a scheduling conflict, the meet was moved to allow the men’s lacrosse game against Tufts to take place on the Anderson Track turf field.

Most team members chose to boycott the Amherst meet, citing repeated mistreatment of the track and field teams by the Athletic Department. However, a number of men’s middle-distance runners and throwers made the trip to Amherst with hopes of gaining racing experience against a competitive field, though no members of the women’s team competed at Amherst.

With so few making the trip, the men amassed only five points, leading to a last-place finish out of seven teams. In addition, the men competed in cold, wet, and very windy weather. The meet, however, was not without its bright spots. Despite having only nine entrants across five events, the Cardinals came out with two point-winning performances.

Those showings came in the men’s javelin event, with Julian Carraway ’18 and Josh Prywes ’17 taking fourth and fifth place, respectively. Despite the rain and wind, both Carraway and Prywes improved on their marks from last week at Coast Guard, throwing 42.92m and 38.88m this week, respectively. Carraway also participated in the discus event for the first time this season, placing 10th.

Carraway was somewhat disappointed with his personal performance when talking with The Argus.

“I didn’t do as well as expected,” he said. “However, this early in the season there is always a great deal of room for improvement and many things to work on from a technical standpoint.”

Four of Wesleyan’s talented middle-distance squad competed in the 1500m run as well. After taking first place in the 3000m steeplechase last week, Tate Knight ’18 led the pack of Cardinal runners, finishing 13th out of a field of 49 with a quick time of 4:12.03 and taking third in his heat. Between the first-year pair of Carraway and Knight, the Cardinals have a bright future to look forward to.

“The times were expectedly fairly slow,” said Taylor Titcomb ’16, citing the unpleasant conditions. “The freshmen competed very well considering, which was good to see.”

Competing for the first time this season, Titcomb finished a strong 20th in the large field. Reid Hawkins ’17, who had an impressive second place in the 5000m run last week, hit the finish line right in front of Paul Brauchle ’17, also running for the first time this year. The two finished in 26th and 27th place, respectively.

Finally, Graham Brown ’18 ran in the 800m event for the first time in his collegiate career. In a competitive field, Brown finished 14th out of 31 with a time of 2:03.73.

The members of the team who chose not to run at Amherst did not let the situation get the best of them, however. Many athletes who did not compete at Amherst kept sharp by staging an informal, intra-squad scrimmage at Wesleyan on Saturday morning. Though they had no other teams to compete against, the Cardinals raced hard in the equally brutal conditions; some even accomplished unofficial personal bests, despite the conditions.

Coming up, both the men’s and women’s teams look to come together and make a strong showing at the 15-team, two-day Conn. College Invitational next weekend. The event will feature NESCAC rivals Tufts, Trinity, and the host, Conn. College, none of which the Cardinals have faced yet this season.