Select members of the men’s and women’s track and field teams travelled to Boston University this past weekend for the Valentine’s Invitational. The last meet before the championship season served as a chance for many to qualify for the ECAC and NCAA championships in just a few weeks.
Seniors Miriam Khan and Meryl Wimberly led the women’s team. Wimberly automatically qualified for NCAAs in the 800-meters with a time of 2:12.26 and finished ninth overall on the day. Khan broke her own record in the 200-meters in 24.52 seconds, earning a second place finish overall in the event. She also finished sixth overall in the 60-meters with an ECAC qualifying time of 7.8 seconds.
Fellow senior Sarah Wehran placed sixth overall in the shotput with a distance of 11.34 meters as well as ninth in the weight throw with a distance of 13.85 meters. Freshman Brigit Roemer placed second overall in the high jump with 1.68 meters, which qualified her for the NCAA championships. She also broke her own record in the triple jump with a distance of 11.60 meters.
“I think I have adapted to the program very well,” Roemer said. “The workouts have been rigorous, but they have definitely helped me get into good shape and ready to compete. The competition level has been higher than anything I’ve ever experienced, but I have gotten somewhat used to it, and I just go out there and give it my all and hope for the best.”
Other notable performances from the women’s side included sophomore Rachel Morris’ ECAC qualifying time of 18:23.25 in the 5000-meters and the distance medley relay.
Wimberly teamed up with freshman Emily Kulcyk, junior Alyssa Bannon and junior Katie Nestor to finish ninth overall in 12:05.72, an NCAA provisional time.
Senior Dennie Waite had a strong performance for the men’s side. His mile time of 4:16.85 earned him a spot in the ECACs. Sophomore Steven D’Aiutolo earned sixth overall in the triple jump with a distance of 13.66 meters and earned a spot in the championships as well. Also making a qualifying time was junior Chris Medina, who finished the 200-meters in 22.77 seconds and freshman Scott Lisa, who had a high jump height of 1.93 meters.
While many athletes qualified for the ECAC championships, the Lions have one more meet before that — the NJAC Championships. The College has a long standing tradition of capturing the indoor title for both men and women, a streak they look forward to keeping alive this year.
“The team is gearing up well for NJACs,” Waite said. “We have a strong tradition in the conference, and we intend to keep it going. Everyone is looking for season’s bests and potential qualifiers in the coming weeks, and taking an ECAC team time is a real possibility.”
