Relay Teams Highlight Action for Men, Women Set Two MIT Records

February 7-8, 2014

Once again, the MIT Track & Field team split their squad, sending the oval runners to the David Hemery Valentine Invitational at Boston University while keeping the sprinters, hurdlers and field events specialists at the Gordon Kelly Invitational at MIT. The BU meet had the women on Friday with the exception of the Men's Distance Medley Relay, and the men on Saturday, with the exception of the women's DMR. The MIT meet was Saturday only for both genders.

MIT dedicated their meet to the former head coach, Gordon Kelly, who coached at MIT for 29 years, 16 of those as the men's head coach (1974-1990). Kelly's teams won 13 New England Division III Championships and he coached seven national champions.

The Men's Distance Medley Relay started things off, and the MIT team really did not know what to expect. Leadoff was Sam Parker '15 running his first ever 1200, 200 meters farther than he had ever raced on the track. States Lee '16 was in the 400 leg and that was not unusual. Freshman Andrew Mullen, a neophyte at this level of racing, was running the 800 leg. Chadd Kiggins '15 was running the 1600 leg, his first high level 1600 since high school. Seeded in the fast section, the team was hoping to run sub 10:00. Parker led off, going with the field through a split of 59.1, looking great, but backed off a little and let the front runners gap him. He hit the 800 in 2:01.3, but then started to move, although he was trapped a little on the rail. When he got out he accelerated and nearly caught the leaders, splitting a very respectable 3:01.1. Lee took the baton and went after the two leaders. He tried a little too hard on the first home stretch, coming through the 200 in 22.6. He almost tried to pass on the inside on the back stretch but then thought better and cut his momentum slightly. He eventually moved to the front on the home stretch, running 49.0 as he handed off to Mullen. Mullen went out with the leaders, splitting a fast 27.1, 54.8 before allowing the leaders to gap him. He managed to hold on for a fine 1:55.5. Kiggins did what he had to do, running about 10 meters behind the leaders. Even so, he hit the first 400 in 60.1 and continued to press at 2:03.6 for the 800. He lost focus or intensity in the next quarter, falling back in the pack, splitting 3:09.2 for the 1200. He picked it back up in the final 400, racing back into the mix for a 4:12.0 leg. The overall time was 9:57.76, a very respectable first time performance, provoking the thought the quartet may be able to qualify for Nationals with another go at it in three weeks.

Cindy Huang '15 got things moving for the women with the 800 meter race. Huang went out with the leaders, going out too fast with a 31 first 200. Her 65 first 400 was more of an expected split, but the second 200 in 34 was not a great sign. However, she was able to hold onto that pace, putting together a 69 final 400 for a new MIT record of 2:14.65. Alexandra Shade '17, missed her check-in, so was put in a slower section. Knowing this she went out to the lead and never looked back. Her first 200 in 32 was not the wisest move, but other than that she ran well, establishing a season best of 2:20.97.

In the Mile Run, Nadia Lucas '18 raced well despite moving to the back of the pack in the first 200, splitting 39. She raced competitively from there, hitting 75 and then 2:33 as she moved to the front pack. She was not quite able to get around the leaders, and then began to fade. Lucas continued to race even though she was dying, completing the Mile in a season best 5:11.43.

The 200 runners did not break 26 seconds, but came very close. Kendra Knittel '17 ran an indoor PR of 26.04. Jackie Brew '14 got the unfortunate draw of lane 2, but still managed a solid 26.22. Jackie Konopka '14 ran her first ever banked track 200, and despite over striding ran 26.38 out of lane three.

At the end of the night, Elaine McVay '15 raced in the 5K. She was the final entry in the fast section. While this is what she wanted, it may not have been the best thing for the junior All American. Eighty-two second 400's would have been ideal, but the early pace was pretty fast even at the back of the pack as McVay hit 5:24 at the 1600 and was third from last. Unlike how she normally holds on, McVay fell to 5:34 for the second 1600 and then 5:48 for her final 1600 before closing in 43 seconds. McVay usually deviates less than three seconds from fastest to slowest 400, so finding out if she just had a bad day or the fast first 1600 did her in will be important if she is to run fast enough later to make the NCAA Championship. Her 17:29.20 is not likely to get her there.

Louise van den Heuvel '14 and Maryann Gong '17 were in the second section of the 3K. The pace was fast as van den Heuvel came through the 1600 in 5:10 and was well off the pace of the leaders. Gong, who was with van den Heuvel through 1200 meters, dropped off to 5:12 at the 1600. While this pace was perfect, if not a little slow for what they should be able to handle based on their 4:52 Mile time, it may be a level of discomfort they are unaccustomed to. Gradually giving up space, van den Heuvel slowed to an 82 final 400, then closed in 37 for the final 200 to finish with a new MIT record of 9:48.61. Gong fell well off the pace, but her 10:04.18 was only 12 seconds off the 9:52 she ran back in December when she ran a more reasonable 5:15 first 1600.

Saturday morning began with the women's DMR. The quartet of Gong, Brew, Huang and van den Heuvel was hoping to improve on their 12:02.67 from two weeks ago, and would like to break 11:50, which would put them in a solid position to make the NCAA Division III Championship field. Gong began the race well, determined to race to her potential. Her first 400 in 70 certainly looked as though she was trying to win her leg. However, the 3K from the night before seemed to take its toll. Gong continued to race competitively, but slowed significantly, splitting 3:40.8. Brew got the baton and was determined to make up the ground on the teams that had gapped Gong. Her 26.5 first 200 was a mistake and she paid for it, slowing to finish in 59.2. Huang, who normally does not come back in the relays as well as her open races, was challenged to put van den Heuvel close enough to catch all of the Division III teams ahead of Huang. Part of the reason her relay legs tend to be slower is the fact she nearly always goes out too fast. This time was no different, hitting the 200 mark in 31.5. She split 65.2 ad 1:39.7 as she kept racing hard. Her final 200 was not pretty, but did the job of closing the gap with her 2:17.3. MIT was now only behind one Division III team and in fourth overall as van den Heuvel went out well in 71.8. Unfortunately, the 3K from the night before probably hit her legs as well as she then ran 76 400's back to back. She pulled into third place and closed with a 74.8 for a 4:57.8 1600 and 11:55.05 overall. The team will probably not be secure with this performance, forcing them to race again in three weeks.

The men's 400 was a thing of beauty. States Lee '16 and Tyler Singer-Clark '14 were the first MIT runners on the track, running well off the top sections, as the fastest time in the world this year was recorded in the first section. Lee got out well, pushed the back stretch, but coming off the second turn was unable to get the break. Having already committed he was hung out on the curve and could not get around the entire second lap. He lost the race, but lowered his personal best indoors to 48.58, the second fastest time in MIT history and only .12 behind the legendary Ayisi Makatiani '90. Singer-Clark ran his best time to date in an excellent race to clock 48.75 for third on the all-time MIT list. Michael Kaba '16 ran a strong second 200 to give him a season best of 49.63. Derek Barnes '16 ran the first 100 of the 400 as he should for the first time. Unfortunately, he also ran the second 100 fast, and expended too much energy getting the break. This caused the second 200 to be pretty ugly, but he still won his section with a 49.69. Nick Diamantoni '15 also misread the break, having to cut his momentum at the end of the first 200. He also had difficulty passing in the final 100, yet he ran a personal best of 49.88. Danny Newman '17 continues to improve dramatically in his freshman year. Racing very well, Newman took the lead on the second lap and powered home in 51.32.

The 500 was next for Tech. Sam Parker was in the fast section and quite nervous about the position. He should not have worried. Pacing the event well, Parker went to pass on the outside at the 300 mark just as the second place runner pulled off the track on the inside. This caused the fourth place runner to step off the track to avoid collision and now Parker was in first. He held the lead to the finish in 1:05.15 to move to #3 on the MIT list. Mac Gager '14 ran a PR as well, running 1:05.84 to win his section and move into number six on the all-time MIT list.

Singer-Clark returned in the 200, putting up an indoor PR of 22.10. Taylor Njaka '17 got on a banked track for the first time in his life, and although he seemed a little off on his stride, he ran a very nice 22.81. Danny Newman '17 ran his first 200 of the season, crossing the finish line in 23.27.

MIT's only representative in the Mile was Ian Tolan '16. He has struggled to find his competitiveness since being at MIT, but this appeared to be a different Ian Tolan. Right from the gun he was engaged with the leaders. His 440 split was quick at 62.4, and even his second 440 was a 64.3. Typically backing off at this point, Tolan stayed focus although he seemed to be overly cautious after the 1000. His 1320 was 3:13.6, showing his reluctance to push the pace, but he finished well to run a PR of 4:18.56. There were eight sub 4:00 miles this day and eight more under 4:01.

In the 1000, Chadd Kiggins returned from the DMR anchor leg with hopes of breaking 2:30. He hit splits of 28.9, 59.0 and 1:29.1 before letting the two leaders gap him. However, he regained his focus and got back on the horse. He finished in 2:28.82 for a new PR, which moved him to #10 on the all-time MIT list. Nick Matthews '17 ran an excellent first 400, but then did stalled out a little in the middle with a 31.5 third 200. He kicked in the final 200, but he allowed his stride to lengthen too much. Nevertheless he ran a PR of 2:32.41.

In the 4x400, after sitting around since the open 400 six hours earlier, the foursome of States Lee, Michael Kaba, Derek Barnes and Tyler Singer-Clark took to the track in the fast section, where the only competition were Division I schools. Lee was his dependable self, getting out well and getting his team into second place with his 48.7 opening leg. Kaba got out like he did last year, which was welcome as he has been starting races much too slowly this year. However, it may have been too fast, as he split 22.6 for the first 200. He still finished well, handing off in 48.9. Barnes ran a very solid race, but tightened up on the second lap, yet keeping MIT in third place in 49.6. Singer-Clark chased down BU and nearly caught them at the line, anchoring in 48.6 for a season best 3:15.94.

Benji Xie '15 gave it a go in the 5K, making an effort to qualify for Nationals. His early pace was perfect, coming through the first 1600 in 4:39. His moves were effortless and he looked strong at the 3200 in 9:20. When the pace started to pick up he just did not have it in his legs, but he was able to maintain the pace, hitting the 4800 in 14:03, finishing the 5K in 14:40.42. This performance will not get him into the national field as he will need to run about 10 seconds faster on a banked track.

Back at MIT there were some impressive performances. Veronica Szlarzewski '15 put on a show as she had a career day. On the track she lowered her 60 meter time to 7.96. In the field events she jumped a personal best 17-5 1/2 in the Long Jump and then added a 35-4 1/2 in the Triple Jump for good measure.

While Isabella Stuopis won the Shot Put with a throw of 43-4 1/4, Christine Labaza '14 threw a nice season best of 35-8 1/2.

Stephanie Guo '17 improved her 60HH time to 9.69. Right after that she was on the track in the 600 and won that in a PR 1:43.41.

In the Pole Vault, Cimmy Virdi '16 won the collegiate competition at 11-11 3/4. Jennifer Tylock '17 jumped a huge personal best at 11-5 3/4.

For the men, Ken Cooper '15 won both the Shot Put and Weight Throw as usual with marks of 50-1 1/4 and 56-1 respectively. Also in the Weight Throw, Curtis Shoyer '16 had a nice PR of 45-2 1/4.

In the Pole Vault, Ben Schreck '15 cleared 16-0 3/4 for a huge personal best. Marshall Wentworth jumped 13-7 1/4, also gaining a new PR.

Adrian Samsel '16 had a pretty big day, getting PR's in the 60HH (8.82) and the 600 (1:26.90).

Carrington Motley '16 jumped 21-6 in the Long Jump and had a season best in the Triple Jump with a 45-0 1/4 effort, finishing just behind teammate Angle Echevarria at 45-5 1/4.

Next week, most of the team will travel to Tufts University for the Cupid Challenge, although some will again be at Boston University for their Scarlet and White Invite.

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