In its first home outdoor meet of the season, the track and field team stole the show, led by All-American Ellen Davis ’07 and 18 runners finishing in the top eight for the men. The home track was welcoming for the Cardinals, who put together one of their best all-around performances this season at the Swanson Invitational.
Five of the top eight finishers in the men’s 3k represented the red and black, with Jon King ’07 leading the way, coming in first with a time of 8:47.81. Close on his tail were Anda Greeney ’07 and Sean Watson ’08, who finished second and third, respectively.
Chris Greene ’08 put forth an inspiring performance, coming in second with a time of 50.64 in the 400m and running leadoff for the 4x400m relay team that finished second as well. Nik Gavelis ’08, who also finished fourth in the 400m, Dan Mays ’06, and Andres Rosario ’08, who came in second in the 800m, rounded out that relay team. Dan McLaughlin ’07 qualified for ECAC’s in the 400m hurdles with a time of 1:00.11. “Everyone ran well today,” McLaughlin said, “It pushed me to be able to run the time that I did. It feels good to qualify after working hard all year.”
Not only did Davis run the fastest time in the 5k at the Swanson Invite this past Saturday, her time was the fourth fastest this spring in Division III.
“It was ridiculous,” McLaughlin said, “She was lapping girls. It wasn’t even fair.”
Davis’ time of 17:14.16 was 1:20 ahead of the second place finisher. Davis is right there with the best runners in the country, and she said that in order to beat them, “It’s going to take some impeccable timing and a competitive attitude, both of which I’ve had from time to time.”
The Wesleyan women continued to dominate the larger events, with Erin Smith’s first place finish in the 3k, coming in with a time of 10:29.38. The women did well in the sprints as well, with Cara Chebuske ’06 placing second in the 800m with a time of 2:21.96 and Stephanie O’Brien ’08 running a 1:00.60 in the 400m, good enough for third place. The 4x400m relay team finished first, anchored by Chebuske and O’Brien.
The team hopes to carry its momentum into the Little Three meet next weekend at home, the most important meet of the season so far. Look for a strong finish for the 4×800 women’s relay team of Davis, O’Brien, Chebuske, and Liz Wheatley ’09.
“I’m really excited about a 4×800 that I’m running with Cara, Steph, and Liz,” Davis said. “I think we could run very fast. It’s hard to doubt that statement with the success that these runners have had.”
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