With the Princeton Elite Meet this past weekend, Columbia track and field has completed its final preparations for the Heptagonal Championships, to be held at Princeton’s William Weaver Stadium May 8-9. Multiple Ivy-leading and top-five marks merit high expectations for Heps, after runner-up and fifth-place finishes at indoor Heps.
The women’s 200m dash was the big event on Saturday, with sophomore Sharay Hale beating her own school record in a first-place 23.86. Three more Lions would pack their way in the front, with freshmen Yamira Bell and Uju Ofoche and sophomore Kristen Houp finishing third, fourth, and sixth, in 24.50, 24.80, and 24.90, respectively. Sophomore Kyra Caldwell had yet another top run at the 400m hurdles this season, winning in 59.98. She was followed by teammate Susan Rodriguez, who took the runner-up spot in 1:02.47.
Underclassmen dominated the jumps, with freshmen Ofoche and QueenDenise Okeke going 1-2 in the long jump with leaps of 5.87m and 5.63m, respectively. Freshman Uzunma Udeh took the triple jump in 12.23m, while Okeke doubled back to take third at the variation in 11.90m.
On the distance side, junior Paul Corcoran evidenced a return to form in the men’s 3k. He took the runner-up spot in a personal best 8:34.98. Senior William Ballenthin was third in the 1500m in 3:50.32, while Lions Michael Weisbuch, Christopher Hays, and Adam Behnke took sixth through eighth over 800m. Freshman Noelle Van Rysselberghe led the women with a seventh-place 10:24.20 in the women’s 3k.
The Lions will return to Princeton territory this weekend to face the rest of the Ancient Eight for the always-exciting Ivy Heps. The NCAA East Regionals follow in Greensboro, N.C. May 29-30, with the NCAA National Championships taking place Thursday, June 10 through Sunday, June 13 in Eugene, Ore.
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