The College’s track teams wrapped up an impressive season over the past two weeks, participating in the ECACs and the NCAA Division III championships.
The men had a very impressive fifth place finish out of 62 teams at the ECACs as they scored 30.25 points, while the women finished in 20th place out of 57 teams with 14 points.
Men’s senior Christopher Medina continued his dominant season by finishing fifth in the 60-meter dash, running an even seven seconds. Sophomore Scott Lisa placed fifth in the high jump by clearing the height of 1.92 meters. Sophomore Dominic Tasco was fifth in the 800-meters with a time of 1:54.62, while freshman Erik Moutenot grabbed ninth place in the event at 1:55.17.
The women had some top 10 finishes, especially in the relays. The team of freshmen Liz Johnson, Michelle Cascio, Katelyn Ary and senior Katie Nestor were fourth in the Distance Medley Relay with a time of 11:57.16. The Lions also took fourth in the 4x400 meter relay. The team of Ary, Cascio, freshman Katie Johnston, and sophomore Emily Kulcyk raced to a 3:38.26 finish.
“The DMR, which was three freshmen and one senior, was a great example of our team unity, since we had to work together and trust each other, despite our differences in experience,” explained Johnson. “It just shows how age does not matter in the track world — what matters more is running your best for your team and feeling the support of your teammates.”
Two women came in the top 10 in the 5,000 meters. Junior Cathy Goncalves took fifth at 17:45.37 and sophomore Megan Flynn captured ninth place at 17:45.37. Nestor was also 10th in the mile with a time of 5:08.27.
Medina was the only Lion to advance to the NCAA Division III championships, but he made the most of his opportunity. He finished ninth overall in the 60-meters with a time of 6.99 seconds. Unfortunately, the top eight qualified for the finals. Medina missed the cut by 0.07 seconds.
The meet was a nice end to the season for the Lions, who accomplished many goals, both personal and team.
“I was expecting and hoping that we would rank well with the other teams in the region,” Johnson said. “We are a strong Division III program and we set ourselves up throughout the season to come to the meet to compete.”
The College begins the outdoor track and field season on March 30, when they travel to Widener University to compete in the Danny Curran Invitational.
“I am excited for our team to have another chance at the conference title in the spring and for us to again compete well at regionals, hopefully qualifying for nationals this time,”Johnson said.
