Track teams nursing injuries for the H-Y-P's

By Kamran Ansari

The Yale track and field program has been hindered this season due to a rash of injuries in both the men's and women's squads.

The men's team, led by Coach Steve Bartold, has enjoyed some outstanding individual performances in the early portions of its current indoor meet season, despite the injuries. The Bulldogs traveled to Ithaca, NY last weekend to compete in a tri-meet against Cornell and Bucknell. The squad handily defeated Bucknell, but could not get by Cornell, dropping the close meet 77 to 64.5. The men faced their greatest difficulty in the high jump, as Cornell swept the first four places in the event over the depleted Eli squad, which proved to be the ultimate clincher in the Bulldogs' defeat.

Men's team captain and leading pole-vaulter Jesse Stern, JE '97, pointed to the spate of injuries on the squad as being the biggest factor in its inability to overcome Cornell. "We had lots of injuries that just prevented us from having a chance with Cornell," Stern said. At the meet, Yale won nine of the day's 17 events, as compared to Bucknell's four and Cornell's four. "[Cornell] took most of the second- and third-place finishes, which really adds up."

The men's squad now gears up for this weekend's big Harvard-Yale-Princeton meet being held at Coxe Cage this Saturday. "We've only lost to Harvard once indoors in the last decade, and we don't want that to change," Stern said.

Individually, the Bulldogs are led by pole-vaulter Stern, weight and hammer thrower Steve O'Connor, TC '98, and long jumper Damon Hanlan, MC '98. Nigel Malcolm, SM '97, the Ivy League's Fastest Man last year, has been nursing injuries, but is ready to compete this weekend. He won the 400-meter race at the Cornell meet, and also ran a strong leg for the 4x400-meter relay.

Peter Coghlan, JE '98, who, along with Malcolm, is a defending Heptagonal Meet outdoor champion, is an important contributor to the team in the high hurdles events. He finished first in the 55-meter high hurdles and second in the 200-meter high hurdles at Cornell, and also chipped in with a third-place finish in the 55-meter sprint. Coghlan is also the Irish National Champion in the 55-meter high hurdle event, and recently came within .07 seconds of making the Irish Olympic squad.

On running the other sprints, which the remarkable Coghlan also does with fair success, he had humble opinions. "I don't really run the other sprints that often; I am really just a one-trick pony." He may only have "one trick," but, thankfully for the Yale squad, he does that trick well.

Following the H-Y-P meet, the Elis will travel to the Heptagonal Meet, where they will face all seven Ivy League opponents as well as Navy for the league championship.

On the women's side, the team, led by Coach Mark Young, has had a rough time this season also due to a string of recent injuries. The team crashed at the Cornell-Bucknell tri-meet, losing to both squads by wide margins.

Women's team captain, hurdler and sprinter Yuko Takenaka, ES '97, was disappointed by the team's dismal showing at the meet. "The meet just didn't go well," she said. "We'd like to do better, because we know we can, but we have so many injuries. Last weekend's meet was not a good reflection of our abilities."

Despite the team's poor performance, they had strong individual performances. Rookie standout Marjorie Anderson, BR '00, turned in a great sprint in her leg of the 4x400-meter relay. But the team wasted Anderson's fast time, dropping the baton and disqualifying itself from the event.

The women's team suffered from the absence of sick hurdler and sprinter, Laura Boniello, SM '99, who had been running very well in the 55-meter hurdles and the 4x400-meter relay. Charla Hall, SY '00, had also been doing well for the team in the 400-meter sprint and in the 4x400-meter relay, but she was unable to turn in stand-out times last weekend. Diane Potkay, PC '00, has been having an outstanding season in the shot-put and the weight throw, consistently breaking her previous marks.

A big highlight for the women's squad this season has been the outstanding contribution of the distance medley relay team. The team is made up of Anderson, Deidre Brill, TC '99, Susie Pepper, MC '99, and Kristen White, BK '97. They qualified for an invitation to compete at the ECAC championships to be held at Harvard the weekend after the Heptagonal meet.

With a chance to get healthy, both the men's and women's squads look to improve greatly over the remainder of the indoor season and hope to carry their improvements into the upcoming spring outdoor season.

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