Men’s track takes sixth at New England Championship
Engineers garnered 39 points at competition and prepare for next meet at RPI for ECAC
MIT served as the host of the All-New England Championship over the weekend, welcoming teams from across the region in Divisions I, II, and III to the Steinbrenner Stadium. The Engineers had a number of impressive performances during the meet and finished sixth as a team, the highest finish among Division III squads. Tech had 39 points, bolstered by second-place showings in three events.
Sophomore Tyler S. Singer-Clark had a personal-best time of 21.62 seconds in the 200-meter to finish second. Singer-Clark was also part of the fifth-place 4x400-meter relay that finished in 3:16.08. Singer-Clark was joined by juniors Daniel J. Ronde and Patrick K. Marx and freshman Samuel G. Parker.
Benjamin A. Mattocks ’12 also had a runner-up performance in the 1500-meter with a time of 3:54.56. Justin L. Bullock ’14 took seventh in the event in 3:55.55.
Nathan E. Peterson ’13 finished second in the pole vault, as one of two vaulters to clear 16-4.75 feet, missing out on first place on attempts.
Chinedum K. Umachi ’12 was fourth in the hammer throw at 184-02 feet. Senior Stephen Serene had a fifth-place finish in the steeplechase with a solid time of 9:17.33.
Also in action this weekend, was senior Daniel E. Harper, who traveled to the IC4A championship at Princeton University. Harper was looking to lower his time in the 10,000-meter in the hopes of qualifying for the upcoming NCAA Division III championship. Harper did just that, running a personal best 30:07.44, good for second place and 13th on the NCAA qualifying list with one week to go before the field is announced.
The MIT Women’s Track and Field team, ranked No. 15 in the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association poll, took on teams from across Divisions I, II, and III at the NEICAAA championship at the Steinbrenner Stadium over the weekend. The Engineers received some impressive individual showings to finish 14th overall and fourth among Division III squads.
Senior Portia M. Jones had a busy weekend, qualifying for the finals in three events, the 100-meter hurdles, and the 200 and 400 meters. Jones ran a season-best 14.28 seconds in the 100-hurdles to take third. Her qualifying time in the 400 was the third fastest but the final was scheduled in between the hurdles and the 200, so the senior paced herself to an eighth-place finish. She then came back to earn fifth in the 200-meter final with a time of 24.51 seconds, a season-best that ranks seventh on the national qualifying list.
Senior Martha M. Gross did not make the finals in the 200 but did post her fastest time of the year at 25.54.
Senior Jamie L. Simmons ran extremely well in the 400-meter hurdles, nearly breaking the one-minute mark. Simmons finished in 1:00.84 in the finals to earn fourth place.
Freshman Michelle O. Johnson set a new MIT freshman record in the triple jump, placing seventh with a leap of 37-7.75 feet. Junior Lauren B. Kuntz gave Tech a solid effort in the pole vault, clearing 12-1.50 feet to earn second place.
The Engineers will travel to RPI for the ECAC championship next weekend, the final competition of the year before the NCAA Division III championship in two weeks.