Princeton’s track and field team closed out its regular season this weekend at the Boston University (BU) Terrier DMR challenge and the Philadelphia Metro Meet. The Tigers earned last-minute qualifications for the NCAA Championships and readied for the Ivy League Championships in Ithaca, N.Y. on March 1 and 2.
New Ivy record
Several fast distance medley relay races were held across the country this weekend, with squads seeking to crack the season’s top-12 times to ensure their spot at NCAAs. The Tigers battled a strong field in Boston and likely punched their ticket in the process.
Junior Connor McCormick led the Tigers off with a strong 2:51.36 1200m leg, placing Princeton fourth at the first handoff. Sophomore Xavier Donaldson powered to the second-fastest 400m split in the field, 45.95, to move the Tigers into third. Senior Sam Rodman held this position with a 1:48.41 800m leg and passed the baton to the fastest Ivy League miler of all time — senior Harrison Witt — to bring the foursome home.
At the bell lap, Witt had moved the Tigers into the lead. He fought hard in the home stretch but was passed at the line by Wake Forest’s and UNC’s anchors in a thrilling finish.
Witt posted an impressive 3:51.58 1,600m split, and despite not getting the win, the Tigers walked away with a new Ivy League record of 9:17.30, besting Princeton’s own 2023 mark by almost six seconds.
Princeton is currently ranked sixth in the NCAA for the DMR and is all but guaranteed to be headed to nationals.
On the bubble
Also at BU, sophomore Hannah Riggins knocked over a second off of her 800m PR with a school record: 2:02.22. She ranks 16th in the NCAA, the last position that gets an automatic invitation to the NCAA Championships.
Senior Mena Scatchard was back in the mile and posted a 4:29.89. Her 4:28.43 from last week has dropped to 16th on the season, and like Riggins, she is currently the last runner in.
“They show again and again that they are among the best in the NCAA,” women’s Head Coach Michelle Eisenreich told The Daily Princetonian.
With a week to go before the qualifying window closes, neither Riggins nor Scatchard have secured their NCAA championship spots yet. However, should they be pushed outside of the top-16, they still may have a chance to represent the Tigers at nationals as a number of athletes above them will likely scratch.
Ready for anything
In Philadelphia, both the men’s and women’s teams came away with several first place finishes and personal records.
“The attitude was the same across the team: Do what you need to do to make sure you are the very best version of yourself at the Ivy Championships,” Eisenreich told the ‘Prince.’
The women’s team put on a strong performance, especially in the field events. Junior Georgina Scoot easily won the triple jump with a personal best of 13.08m, improving her NCAA ranking to No. 30. Junior Alexandra Kelly won the long jump, matching her best 6.23m mark — the second-best in Tiger history. Junior Tessa Mudd cleared 4.26m to win the pole vault, capping off the field section.
On the track, junior Maddie Cramer and sophomore Peyton Leigh placed first and second in the 800m, finishing just a shade over 2:10. Seniors Lilly Parris and Lexi Allen each took home second place finishes in the 60m hurdles and 1000m respectively.
“Any team will always lean on its stars to score a ton of points at championship meets, and we are no different,” Eisenreich said to the ‘Prince.’ “However, what makes us special is the sheer depth of individuals we have backing them up across every event … If we can bring a roster full of women operating as the best versions of themselves, we will be extremely hard to beat.”
The men’s team also had a great meet overall, with many athletes dominating their traditional events and others gaining valuable experience in unfamiliar ones.
The Tigers commanded the mile, sweeping the top four places. Junior Myles Hogan led the pack, finishing with a new PR of 4:01.05. In the short sprints, first-year Paul Kuhner ran 6.93 to top the podium of the 60m dash, and junior Easton Tan posted a 7.87, the third-best mark in Princeton history in the 60m hurdles.
First-year Jon York, already the eighth fastest Tiger in the 400m, dropped down to the 200m for the first time collegiately. He ran 21.56 for the win, but his main focus is still on the longer distances.
“I haven’t ran [the 200] before, so I did not place a lot of emphasis on the race. The goal was to run well, so I can gain the speed I need to excel in the 400,” York said to the ‘Prince.’
Filling in for York, junior Joey Gant stepped up in distance to win the 400m with a time of 46.63. The race was only Gant’s second ever indoor 400m, but it cemented him as No. 3 in school history.
“In the past, I have been scared of [the 400m] because of the distance. This time, I didn’t go into the race afraid, I trusted my training, and everything sort of just fell into place,” he told the ‘Prince.’
The men and women will travel to Ithaca next weekend for the Ivy League Championships on March 1 and 2. Both teams will have high hopes for the meet as they look to take home some hardware.
“My mindset as of now is just to score as many points as I can at the Ivy Championship. Wherever events they put me in, I want to score as many points as I can for the team,” Gant said to the ‘Prince.’
Luke Stockless is a staff Sports writer for the ‘Prince.’
Carina Fucich is a Sports contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com
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