Vahey Sets Varsity Hammer Record at Nationals

 

May 25-27, 2017

MIT's Men's and Women's Track & Field team went to the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championship, in Geneva, Ohio to put the finishing touches on an outstanding year and they certainly succeeded. 

The championship started with a banquet honoring the athletes and coaches who have made it to this prestigious championship.  This is also the time when the Elite 90 Award is presented, honoring the individual male and female student-athlete with the highest GPA attending this championship.  If there is a tie, the award goes to the one with the highest number of academic units.  MIT Track & Field / Cross Country has had five different individuals win this award in its brief history and Wednesday night they added two more, marking only the second time a program has had both the male and female honoree in the same season.  The previous time it was also MIT, as Kyle Hannon '13 and Lauren Kuntz '13 both won the award at the 2012 Indoor Track & Field banquet.  This year's winners were Maryann Gong '17 and Aidan Gilson '19, both having perfect GPA's in Course 6 (Computer Science and Electrical Engineering) and 20 (Biological Engineering) respectively.

The Engineers were very busy during the first day of the three day championship.  Things began with the 10K at 9:45 in the morning.  Mary Eccles '18, seeded 19th going into the race was hoping to put herself in the mix for an All America slot (top eight), and started off at the right pace. A lead group of four broke off at the start with a 76 first 400, but then settled into 82 second pace, which the winner, Taryn Cordani '18 from Ithaca College held until a final 74 kick to run 34:41.11.  Eccles pace was a sound 86 second pace and she seemed very comfortable.  However, the effects of a cold along with an upset stomach got the best of her. She finished last in 38:40.29.

Dennie Maloney '19 represented MIT in the Men's 10K.  Seeded ninth, the sophomore knew he had a good chance of placing well.  Maloney started out in the back of the pack, but eased to the front as the pace picked up from an initial quarter in 75 to a very quick 70 pace.  A group of five separated from the pack and Maloney was in that front group.  The pace was quick with the 1600 split of 4:47 and the 3200 split 9:30.  Maloney look great, almost bored.  The pace slowed a bit to 72 second pace and this caused Maloney to relax a bit, giving him a side stitch he was unable to shake.  His 5K split was 14:54, he still felt great and was in a solid fourth place.  However, once the side stitch hit he could not recover and fell back in the pack.  He recovered at the end, but could only manage a 10th place in 30:36.07.

It had been raining all day and did not show any signs of letting up.  Ariela Slutsky '18, seeded 12th in the Discus, was in the first flight and the highest seed in that flight.  She only threw 43.22 meters to finish fifth in that flight as the rain was giving everyone a hard time releasing the discus.  The second and seeded flight, apparently had even more problems with the rain.  Slutsky made finals and was in eighth place.  She was passed on the second round of finals, moving her out of placing.  On her final throw, as she has a history of doing, Slutsky threw 144-9 to move into sixth place, earning the first MIT points and taking home her first All America trophy.

While the Discus was going on so was the Women's Pole Vault. MIT had two entries, Jen Tylock '17 seeded 18th, and Kari Stromhaug '19 seeded 22nd.  The opening height was 11-7 3/4 and both Tylock and Stromhaug cleared the height as well as 12-1 1/2.  Tylock needed two attempts to clear both while Stromhaug was clean, making both heights on her first attempt.  At 12-5 1/2 both made it on their second attempts, giving both a new personal record.  In every other Division III Track & Field National Championship this would make All America, but this year 14 women made the height.  At 12-7 1/2, Stromhaug cleared on her second attempt, but Tylock was unable to make it, finishing 13th.  Stromhaug did not clear 12-9 1/2, but earned 8th place on fewer misses to claim her second All America honor this year.

Katie Bacher '20, seeded 20th in the 1500 was ready and did not seem to be bothered by the atmosphere at Nationals.  Having already competed at both the Cross Country and Indoor Track & Field national championships this year, the freshman seemed very relaxed.  She ran at the back of the pack, stayed on the rail and did not panic.  The initial pace of 72 was perfect, but then slowed to a 76.  It picked up to a 73 for Bacher, but she could not kick with the leaders, managing a solid 53 final 300 for a 4:34.70. She finished 13th overall, missing finals my one place.

Hannah Chen '18 started her quest for her third straight All America in the 400IH.  The junior was seeded sixth going into the race.  She had a solid start and a very nice first hurdle.  She had to stutter a bit on the second hurdle, falling behind early.  However, her strong finish carried her to a 61.70, the seventh overall qualifier for Saturday's final.

In the Men's Discus, Cody Bratten '18, seeded ninth was about to find out how he would perform in the rain.  Unfortunately the big junior could not grip the discus, only throwing 139-9 to finish 18th.

The final events on the track for MIT the first evening was the Men's and Women's 3,000 Meter Steeplechase.  Jenna Melanson '20 was up first.  The first heat of the women's race was a slow tactical race (10:57.19).  Given the formula for advancement (top 5 from each heat and the next four fastest), the second heat should have it pretty easy.  Although the first lap was a quick 82 seconds, Melanson felt it was uncomfortably slow and took the lead.  By the time she came through the 1600 in 5:34 there was no one near her.  She was able to cruise the rest of the way with a 10:44.81 victory, advancing to the finals.

Aidan Gilson '19 was out to show he could get the job done with his legs as well as his brain.  The ninth seed, tucked in behind favorite Luke O'Connor '17 from Tufts when it was clear no one wanted to to take the pace out hard.  The first heat ran 9:18.17, so a reasonably quick effort could get the top eight or nine in from the second heat, but no one wanted to push the pace.  Gilson stayed with the leaders through a 5:01 first 1600 and then stayed in fourth position through the finish for a 9:20.70 to finish eighth overall and qualify for Saturday's final.

The final event of the day for MIT was the Women's Long Jump.  Nneoma Okonkwo '18, a two-time All America winner in the event, was seeded ninth in a very talented field.  The junior had been limited in practice with a bad case of shin splints, walking around in a immobilizing boot for the past couple of weeks, so making the finals was not a sure thing.  It only took 18-4 to make finals, but Okonkwo could only manage 17-11 1/2.

Day two was essentially a day off for the Engineers.  Only Chen competed, taking on the 100HH.  She got out well but hit a few hurdles en route to a 14.80 performance, finishing 17th overall.

The final day of the meet, Saturday, began for MIT with the women's Hammer Throw.  Jackie Vahey '17, seeded 15th, threw a personal best of 53.41 meters to place third in the first flight and ninth overall in the trials to make it into the finals.  In the finals, on her final throw she threw a new MIT record 181-1 to move into seventh place.  Ariela Slutsky doubled back from the Discus to finish 14th at 166-8.

As the Hammer was going on, the Steeplechase final was starting.  The race turned strategic right away, which made Melanson a little uncomfortable.  The bunched pack did not allow her to approach the barriers as efficiently as usual.  She disengaged for two laps, falling back to 89 second pace before finally moving in the final lap, closing the final 200 in 39 seconds to move into fifth place with a time of 10:44.62, an impressive feat for the freshman.

The Men's Steeplechase was next.  Before the start of the race, Gilson looked as though he was in shock, overwhelmed at where he was and what was about to take place.  He started the race well, putting himself in great position threw 1600 meters, splitting 4:55, but then disengaged completely, falling back to 11th place in 9:25.19.

Bobby Upton '20 was the 20th seed going into the Pole Vault, so expectations were low, but the talented freshman has the ability to do well nationally, so MIT hopes were high.  However, he was not able to clear the 15-3 opening height.

Chen was back in the final of the 400IH.  In lane nine, she had no one to run off of, but started out well if not a little slow.  She lost the stagger on the backstretch, but finished well to nab seventh place in 61.46.

The final events for MIT were the Men's and Women's 5K.  Maryann Gong '17 was up first.  The 15 time All America winner has had a difficult spring, dealing with injury and illness causing reduced mileage and a lack of confidence.  The senior went with the leaders through a quick 5:13 opening mile but it was obvious that she was not committed to that level of running.  Once she disengaged from the lead group, she basically gave up the race.  Gong finished in 17:40.10, not the way she wanted to go out.  However, she has brought a lot of accolades to MIT in her four years, raising the program to a higher level than when she arrived and she will be missed.

Matt Deyo 'G was in his final race as well.  The gutsy graduate student is extremely determined and scoring in the 5K was on his agenda.  With the temperature in the low 70's and the sun bright, no one was anxious to take the pace out too hard.  The pack strung out but remained intact through a first mile in 4:39.  Deyo slowly moved up, about one person per lap.  Just before the 3200 mark the leaders began to open a gap, splitting 9:21.  Deyo was slowly moving up to scoring position, but did not make a serious move until 600 to go.  Running a 64 lap moved him into fifth place briefly, but he fell off in the final 200 meters, placing seventh in 14:30.80, 1.61 seconds out of fifth.

The women were only seeded to score 10 points and ended up in a tie for 20th place with 12 points.  The men, not seeded to score at all, scored two points on Deyo's finish, putting them in a tie for 72nd.  It was not the best Nationals for the Engineers, but there is a lot of talent back at MIT waiting to develop next year as well as an excellent incoming class of freshmen.  The Engineers hope to be back, contending for a much higher finish in the years to come.

 

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