One of the best years in Princeton track and field history continued this Friday as the Tigers dominated the Sam Howell Invitational, their first home meet of the outdoor season. Princeton athletes topped the podium in 25 out of 43 events and rewrote several school records in the process.
So far this year, the Tigers have asserted themselves on the national stage and commanded the Ivy League, with both the men’s and women’s squads looking to earn triple crown honors. The season’s first showdown at Weaver Stadium was no departure from this exceptional standard.
Three Tigers etched their names atop the school record books on Friday. Seniors Mena Scatchard and Adelaide Asante, who have both made a habit of accumulating records this year, added to their collections, claiming the all-time 5000m and 200m titles, respectively. Not to let the upperclassmen have all the fun, first-year Jacob Nenow grabbed his first school-leading mark in the 10000m.
Asante clocked a 23.66 in the 200m to dip under the old record by just one hundredth of a second. She led a Tiger 1–2–5 finish of herself, junior Maisha Atkinson, and junior Georgina Scoot, who also earned a victory in the long jump.
Asante already owned the indoor school record at the distance, a 24.05 second performance set this year at Heps, just hours after she also took the all-time Princeton crown in the 60m hurdles.
Asante was a key part of the women’s Ivy League victory indoors, bringing home 12 points in individual events and eight more in the 4x400m relay. She will likely play a big role in the triple crown chase in one month’s time.
Scatchard opened her outdoor season just as she closed her indoor campaign, smashing records and dominating races. Fresh off of a runner-up finish in the NCAA indoor championships mile, Scatchard jumped up in distance to contest the 5000m at Sam Howell.
Expectedly departing from her characteristic championship strategy of sitting and kicking, Scatchard went to the front early and spent much of the race completely alone in first place. She held on to earn the win in 15:48.24, marking her seventh school record across indoor and outdoor track.
Also in the women’s 5000m, sophomores Anna McNatt and Peyton Leigh and senior Lucca Fulkerson all ran under 16:40, finishing 5th, 6th, and 8th.
The meet finished with its longest event, the 10000m. Racing under the lights, Nenow and senior Nick Bendtsen mounted an attack on the school record, held by Bendtsen’s older brother Chris Bendtsen ’14.
The record would not stay in the family, as Nenow gapped his senior teammate in the final lap. The two would both finish well under the old mark of 28:49.08, clocking 28:23.60 and 28:25.21 for the top two places in the race.
The 25-lap race was a true team effort. Senior Harrison Witt and junior Connor McCormick paced the duo for much of the race, and Nenow and Bendtsen traded the top position back and forth in the final laps.
“I am super excited about … being able to work together with Nick for a fast 10K time. It wouldn’t have been possible for us without Harrison and Connor pacing us through over half of the race,” Nenow wrote to The Daily Princetonian.
“I am so blessed to be on a team where everyone on the team supports one another and helps each other out,” he added. “Almost everyone on the team was down on the track cheering for us every lap.”
While the duo crushed the school record, that was not their only goal. Nenow told the ‘Prince’ that they were focused on getting a strong time to qualify for the NCAA East Regional Championships.
Qualifying for the national championships outdoors is a bit different than the indoor process. The country is split into two regions, east and west, and the top 48 individuals per event in each region earn invitations to a regional championship meet. The top 12 finishers in each regional race will then head to nationals in Eugene, Oregon.
Nenow and Bendtsen are currently ranked 17th and 20th in the east’s 10000m rankings. 27 Princetonians are currently ranked top 48 in the region in one or multiple events.
Collectively, the Tigers have already shown excellent form early in the season. On the horizon, Princeton will host two other home meets this year, the Larry Ellis Invitational on May 2–3 and the Princeton Elite on May 17.
Luke Stockless is a staff Sports writer for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com
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