MIT Stars Shine at NEICAAA Championship

Women Claim Two Varsity and Two Freshman Records

May 9-10, 2014

Day one of the New England Intercollegiate Amateur Athletic Association (NEICAAA) Outdoor Track & Field Championship hosted by Westfield State College was not a very bright day for the track & field teams from MIT. Amid the mess of performances, even the more reliable competitors were having a tough day. Carrington Motley '16 fouled out of the Long Jump, Cimmy Virdi '16 no-heighted in the Pole Vault and things just seemed to be going from bad to worse. States Lee '16 qualified for the 400 finals, but looked tired and beat, running a slow 48.74. The one exception was the performance turned in by Adrian Samsel '16, running a personal best of 53.71 in the 400IH to qualify for finals.

The team had come off an emotional two weeks of championships in which they felt the pressure and expectation of winning, and those successful experiences took a toll on the mental and physical reserves of the Engineers. They were flat, lacking the competitive edge and bringing nothing to the track. Fortunately, the team is resilient and realized they were letting an excellent opportunity slip away. This meet is the setting where all three NCAA divisions (I, II and III) compete against each other for the New England title. Most Division III teams use the opportunity to focus on qualifying their athletes for the NCAA Division III Championship two weeks later. MIT was one of those teams. Leaving all 5K and 10K runners at home to recuperate from the past two weekends, Tech was in no position to go for yet another team title, but they were prepared to live up to their tradition and reputation and bring their best.

Day two was projected to have thunderstorms throughout the day, but warm temperatures. The weather seemed to mirror the attitude of the MIT athletes. A different day, a different attitude, and MIT came to play. The rain stopped, the sun came out and the temperatures rose to near 90. The Men's 4x100 Relay started things off for Tech. Michael DuPlessis '14, Nick Diamantoni '15, States Lee '16 and Tyler Singer-Clark '14 put together an excellent race, running a season best 41.93 for fifth place despite a poor baton exchange from Diamantoni to Lee. If the Engineers can fix that exchange they can probably drop the .4 necessary to return to the NCAA Division III Championship where they placed fifth in 2013. The ball was rolling and gaining momentum. The women were next. The quartet of Jackie Brew '14, Veronica Szklarzewski '15, Kendra Knittel '17 and Jackie Konopka '14 were determined to take care of the business of qualifying for Nationals and they did just that. With the exception of Knittel having to slow slightly to get the baton from Szklarzewski, the handoffs were excellent, producing a time of 47.55 for the sixth best time in Division III.

In the field events, Ken Cooper '15 was having a pretty solid weekend, placing in all three of his events. On the first day Cooper placed eighth in the Hammer with a throw of 185-2. On day two Cooper placed fourth in the Discus, throwing 158-7 and then took sixth in the Shot Put at 51-11 3/4. The ladies held their own and then some in the throws. Isabella Stuopis '16 had her best throw on her final throw, placing fifth with an outdoor PR of 43-06. In the Discus, Stuopis threw another personal best, this one good for eighth place at 127-2. Jackie Vahey '17, placed fourth and once again reset the Freshman and Varsity record at 134-0.

In the Triple Jump, Motley redeemed himself when he placed seventh at 46-6 3/4. Michelle Johnson '15 did not place, but jumped her best all season, a 37-0 1/4 effort.

Back on the track the momentum could not be stopped. Justin Bullock '14, barely getting in any training as he manages his leg injury, continues to show his true competitive spirit. Despite the pace going out in 60.9 for the opening quarter, Bullock held on and raced to a 3:54.91 personal best. Not to be outdone, freshman standout Maryann Gong took to the shorter distance with plans on running fast and that she did. Just like the men's race, the opening quarter was a blazing 69.4. Gong did what she does best, not thinking, just racing. She moved up throughout the race, running 2:22.9 and 3:37.4 through 800 and 1200 meters, closing the final 300 in 54 to place third in 4:31.24. The new personal best set the MIT Freshman record and puts her at number seven in the country.

Next up for MIT was the Men's 400 final. Lee showed what a difference attitude can make as he was fully engaged in the final. Getting out hard, but relaxed, Lee cruised the opening 100 then moved hard in the second 100 to position himself to fight for the win. Racing the turn and then brining it home hard earned Lee second place with a new personal best of 47.53, the fourth fastest time in Division III.

Harrison Hunter '15 and Sam Parker '15 took to the track in the 800 final. Both were seeded in the third fastest of four sections despite their fast times. Hunter, having won every 800 race this year, was hoping to continue this trend. Parker was hoping to be the one who ended the streak as long as his teammate also ran well. The 55.1 first quarter pace was relatively slow if they were hoping for a fast time, but Hunter, who just races to win, did not pay attention. Parker took the lead with 300 to go, a great move to go for the win. Hunter was right behind him and took over the lead with 200 to go, never looking back as he remained undefeated, winning his section with a new PR of 1:51.64, putting him 13th on the NCAA list. Parker tied up in the final 100, but still ran a very respectable 1:52.86.

Cindy Huang '15 was in the second to fastest section of the Women's 800. The initial pace was a little slow at 65.7, but fast enough. Huang moved to the front on the second lap, taking the lead with 180 to go, sprinting to the finish and maintaining her form through the line for the victory, a new PR and MIT record of 2:12.40. The fast section went out in a suicidal 60 and everyone followed. All but the first two runners imploded in the final 200, allowing Huang to place third overall and moved to 13th on the NCAA Division III list.

Samsel was up in the 400IH final. He wanted to get out faster, yet stay in rhythm to avoid stuttering. Unfortunately the increased speed put him too close to the hurdles, causing an unusual amount of chopped steps. This put him out of the race for the victory very quickly. Samsel finished well to place eighth in 54.31.

The fast section of the Women's 3000 Steeplechase was up next and Martina de Geus was waiting to be tested by the Division I athletes. Unfortunately, the race broke apart right away as the top three seeds went out in 70 for the first quarter. de Geus stayed in the back of the more casual runners, coming through in 81. The trail group should not be confused with a chase group as the pace was not ambitious at all, slowing to 88 seconds by lap three. This forced de Geus to the front, but she was reluctant to go after the leaders, who at this point were also running very slow. With 600 to go de Geus opened up to an 85 quarter and then closed with a 39 final 200 to capture third in a season best 10:42.46.

The final event was the 4x400 Relay. Substituting Samsel for the injured Michael Kaba '16, and with Singer-Clark not appearing to be in top condition following his hamstring injury early in the season, there was doubt that this group, which included Lee and Derek Barnes '16, could return to the level that would earn them a trip to Nationals. Fortunately, those in doubt did not include the four running the relay. Lee brought his A game, delivering a 47.4 leadoff. A solid handoff to Barnes put Tech in second place. Barnes did not get out very aggressively, but finished well to run a 48.4 split. Barnes closed the gap on first, but fell back to third at the handoff. Samsel did not match Barnes's speed at the handoff, but overall having a fair handoff. Samsel dropped to fourth, but closed well on the homestretch moving to second at the handoff with a 48.6 split. Singer-Clark got out really slowly, losing the advantage Samsel had given him. However, he moved ahead with a burst of speed and held onto second place until the final 150 when he fell to third, holding that to the finish with a 47.8 split for a 3:12.23 cumulative time, putting them in fourth on the Division III national list.

Both the men and women finished with 30 points, the men placing ninth and the women 10th. With one week to go to compete for a spot at Nationals and an opportunity to earn All America honors, the Tech athletes will travel to RPI in Troy, NY for the ECAC Division III Championship while a couple of athletes will compete at Princeton in the IC4A Championship.

RETURN TO OUTDOOR