Alex Battaglino ’07 ran behind the leader for first 24 of 25 laps in the men’s 10,000-meter race at the NESCAC Championships this weekend at Bowdoin.
But the last lap was all that mattered, as Battaglino closed in a 62-second final 400 meters to be crowned the conference champion. The 10k was also the hot race on the women’s side, as Erin Smith ’06 ran a gutsy race to break her own school record by 50 seconds, finishing in 37:02, good for fourth.
Battaglino’s first place finish added ten points to the team total score, brining it to 34.5, good for seventh place out of the eleven NESCAC track and field teams.
“That was a hoot,” Battaglino said after his race. “I was able to stay relaxed most of the way, and had plenty left in the tank at the end.”
Unfortunately for the men, disqualifications, officiating problems, and just general bad luck plagued the team for the rest of the meet.
The 4×100 squad, which was virtually assured of scoring points, was disqualified for a baton pass not in the specified passing zone. A dropped baton was also a problem for the distance medley relay team in the last event of the meet.
But the biggest hurdle was set against Dan McLaughlin ’07. Due to a seeding mishap, McLaughlin was left out of the 400-meter hurdles. After discussion among the officials, McLaughlin was allowed to run his own race, but without any competition. Racing against solely the clock, McLaughlin just missed scoring, finishing in ninth place in :58.30.
“It was rough having nobody to run with,” McLaughlin said. “I was lucky they gave me a chance, and the crowd was really behind me, but if I had some competition I definitely would have run faster.”
Despite these setbacks, a number of team members stepped up to help the team’s cause.
Running on a probable stress fracture in his shin, Chris Greene ’08 pushed through the pain to finish eighth in the 800 meters in 1:56. The 5,000 meters was also a strong event for the Cardinals, as Jon King ’07 placed second in 15:07 and Sean Watson ’08 finished sixth in 15:22.
In the field events, Sam Grover ’08 had a season’s best jump of 46′ 6“, good for second place, and he tied for sixth in the high jump with a leap of 5′ 10”. Dave Tutor ’06 also stepped up for the Cardinals in the javelin, with a throw of 163′ 1“.
On the women’s side, the team placed 11th, running without All-American Ellen Davis ’07, who was plagued by a sore hamstring. In her absence, Smith ran a strong race in the 10,000 meters. Running with the leaders for most of the race, Smith’s time qualifies her provisionally for the NCAA Championships in Illinois later this month. Currently, her time is the ninth-fastest Division III time in the country this spring.
The women were also aided by Lucia Pier ’08 and Anna Schindler ’09, who placed seventh (18:25) and eighth (18:32) in the 5,000 meters. Captain Cara Chebuske ’06 also had a strong race, placing sixth in the 800 meters, in 2:19. Sprint standout Steph O’Brien ’08 was fifth in the 400 meters, finishing in 61 seconds.
Next up for the team is the New England Division III Championships at Springfield this weekend.
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