March 3, 2001

Taking a break from team competition and focusing on those individuals going to the NCAA Championships next weekend, or those hoping to qualify, MIT's men's track team took some individuals to the IC4A Championship at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston and others to the ECAC Division III Championship at Boston University.

Each meet had its own highlight for MIT. At the IC4A Championship, Craig Mielcarz weathered the difficult opening height of 6'9" in the High Jump to tie for 5th place. Craig had two great attempts at 6-9 3/4 but was unable to clear that height. Both Craig and teammate Brian Hoying will be competing in the High Jump at Nationals.

Sean Montgomery put his foot down on the gas and pulled away from the field in the 1500, qualifying provisionally for nationals with a time of 3:54.59. Sean started from the rear, but after splits of 62 and 2:05, found himself in the lead. He faltered a bit as he slowed to 3:09 at the 1200 mark, but then kicked it in with a 45 second final 300 to win easily.

Also at the ECAC meet, Dan Feldman tried to set the 3000 record but was unable to find the gears he needed at 9:50 in the morning. Dan settled for a 3rd place 8:39.40 performance. Dan was able to finish with a 31 second last 200 and is optimistic about the 5000 next weekend.

In the 800, Brian Anderson and John Biesiadecki both ran 1:57.42 out of different sections. John ran an inspired race but ran out of gas in the final 200 meters. Brian was knocked back at the start of the race and was never able to get back into the thick of it.

Mark Jeunnette ran 1:07.19 in the 500 to place 7th. Mark looked very good and is definitely ready for the 800 leg of the Distance Medley Relay (DMR) at nationals.

Sam Thibault placed 7th in the Pole Vault with a vault of 13-10 1/4 and Brian Wong threw 48-5 1/2 in the Weight Throw to end their indoor seasons.

Next week, at the NCAA Championships in Oshkosh, WI, due to insufficient bodies and a conflicting time schedule, MIT will enter the DMR with Anderson, Hoying, Jeunnette and Montgomery respectively running the 1200-400-800-1600 legs. Also competing will be Feldman in the 5000 and Hoying and Mielcarz in the High Jump. The 4x400 relay will have to wait until the outdoor season to see if they can qualify again, as will Sean Montgomery in the 1500.