While resting most of its distance squad this past weekend, the men’s and women’s track and field team traveled to Smith College for the Tartan Invitational. Wes Fuhrman (grad) led the men’s team with his 4:22 second-place finish in the mile, while Ellen Davis ’07 dominated the field in the 3,000-meters, winning in 10:05.
On the men’s side, the sprint squad turned in some strong performances, hoping to qualify for the New England Division III Championships. Dan McLaughlin ’07, placed fourth in the 55-meter hurdles (8.33), while Seth Warren also placed fourth in the 400-meters (52.6).
The mid-distance squad also saw some fast times from Brad Litchfield ’09 and Chris Greene ’08, who placed third (1:27) and fourth (1:59) in the 600-meters and the 800-meters respectively.
In the mile, Fuhrman dueled with Fabian Mejia of Salem State for much of the race, but despite falling to Mejia, was able to hold off standout miler Bill Ference of Williams. Fuhrman’s mile was a boost to his confidence as he seeks to qualify for the NCAA Championships in his last season of track eligibility.
“It was good to get in a mid-distance race before BU,” said Fuhrman. “We had a great crew here to cheer us on as all the guys who weren’t racing came up to watch.”
The Valentine’s Day Invite at Boston University will be Fuhrman’s best chance to date to qualify for Nationals with the high level of competition and banked track that BU offers.
Stephen Morris ’07 was one of the few distance representatives for the Cards as he placed seventh in the 5,000-meters with a time of 16:48.
On the women’s side, the mid-distance squad turned out plenty of strong performances. Steph O’Brien ’08 and Cara Chebuske ’06 placed third in the 600-meters (1:42) and 1,000-meters (3:07) respectively, while freshman Anna Schindler placed seventh in the mile (5:22).
Standout thrower Kristy Williams ’07 placed fourth in the shot-put with a throw over 39 feet, and second in the weight throw (47 feet, 8 inches).
This weekend the team will split squads as most of the distance and mid-distance crew will travel to Boston University, while the sprinters will stay home and race at the Cardinal Invite.
One notable absence at the BU meet will be senior Owen Kiely ’06 who was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his fibula last week. Kiely, who earned All-American honors in cross-country, was upset but remained upbeat.
“I’ve been lucky,” Kiely said. “Three and a half years here, and I haven’t had any serious running problems. The best I can do is just hit the elliptical and the pool and be back to race the steeplechase in the spring.”
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