Men's, women's track gearing up for Ivy finale

After a difficult weekend at the H-Y-Ps, Yale track is set for the Ivy League playoffs: the Heptagonals.

By Joey Ax and Kate Blofson

JULIA TIERNAN/YH Despite strong efforts from athletes like hurdler Matt Miesionczek, JE '01, the men's track team came up way short at the H-Y-Ps.

In sports, experience can be just as important as talent. One only has to look at the way the Utah Jazz dominated the L.A. Lakers in the NBA Western finals to learn the truth of that axiom. As the men's and women's track teams prepared for the H-Y-Ps at Harvard on Sat., Feb. 13, both squads knew they were in for a challenging weekend. Though the Bulldogs have a great deal of talent, it is mostly raw talent; each team has more than its share of young runners. Nevertheless, Yale hoped to put together a strong showing against rivals Harvard and Princeton.

The men left Cambridge on the losing end of a lopsided decision, having scored only 18 points to Princeton's 102 and Harvard's 49. The Tigers dominated the individual events, placing first in 13 out of 16 races. The score notwithstanding, coach Steve Bartold was quite pleased with Yale's performance. "We ran pretty well," he said. "You're going to have meets where you take your knocks. We just don't have the depth of those other programs."

The women's team fared somewhat better in their meet, managing a total of 40 points, but the Cantabs and the Tigers prevailed, with 56 and 52 points, respectively. The Crimson women captured first place in seven different individual events, keeping their overall dual meet record perfect for the season.

Although the Bulldogs lost, several Yalies turned in impressive individual performances. On the women's side, Jennifer Newsom, JE '01, won two events, finishing on top in the 55 meter dash and the long jump. Her time in the dash (7.22 sec.) was a Yale indoor track record and came despite the fact that Newsom had a high fever. "I competed pretty sick," Newsom said. "It was really a surprise when I found out. I didn't ever think I'd get the record."

In addition to Newsom's achievements, Diane Potkay, PC '00, took first in the shot put, while Melanie Harris won the 20-lb. weight. Though the Yale women tried to keep the meet close, Harvard and Princeton won based on their superior depth and experience. But the team has a bright future, even though it loses captain Cindy Wang, BK '99, and proven sprinter Laura Boniello, SM '99, to graduation this year. "We've got lots of young people in all different events," Newsom said. "Yale track is really on the up and up."

Several male Bulldogs had "the performances of a lifetime," according to Bartold. Jason Rife, SM '01, finished a scant 27 hundredths of a second out of first place in the 400. His time of 48.69 seconds, while good enough only for fourth, was nevertheless the fifth-fastest 400 ever run in Yale indoor track. In the 1000, James Pearce's, BR '02, time of 2:29.80 landed him in sixth but was only 2.3 seconds off the lead. Don Carson, SY '02, ran a 1:54.57 in the 800 meters but had only a third place finish to show for it.

The team's youth was probably the determining factor in the loss. "We're a very young team," Pearce explained, echoing Newsom's sentiments. "We have a lot of freshmen and sophomores. At H-Y-Ps, they placed fairly high and ran good times, so it looks like we'll be very good in a couple of years."

The Elis will have to forget about the H-Y-Ps pretty soon: they travel to Cornell on Sat., Feb. 20, and Sun., Feb. 21, for the Heptagonals, the annual Ivy League playoff meet. Though Yale had a tough time against Harvard and Princeton, the Bulldogs are looking forward to the meet. "We've been having pretty light practices this week," Pearce said. "We're hoping to peak for the Heps." While neither team is expected to compete for the title, both the men's and women's squads hope to improve on last weekend's performance and continue to mature.

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