After significant wins in the men's championship 4x800 meter relay and the men's college distance medley relay at the Penn Relays that turned the attention of the track world to Columbia, the Light Blue will finally get a chance to see how its skills measure up against the rest of the league. The Lions head to Princeton for the Ivy League Outdoor Heptagonal Championships, held from May 5-6 at Weaver Stadium.
The men's team comes into Heps with one of the strongest squads in recent history. Buoyed by its success at the Penn Relays, the team is hoping to at least tie or best its fourth-place finish at the Indoor Heptagonals this year.
"I don't think last week was the pinnacle," senior Kent Collins said of his team's achievements at the Relays. "We're still on an upward climb ... That wasn't as fast as we can run, and that's exciting to know."
Senior Erison Hurtault will attempt to win the outdoor 400-meter title for the fourth year in a row, and pick up his eighth Ivy League title in the process. With a new personal best of 45.99 seconds for the 400, which he set at the Miami Elite Invitational on April 14, Hurtault looks set to best the Heps' record of 46.11 seconds, set by Michael Greene from Navy in 1987.
The Light Blue men can expect to be dominant in the middle-distance events, with two runners in the top-10 of the 800-meter. Junior Jonah Rathbun is ranked fourth and freshman Mike Mark is seventh. They will be joined in the event by Collins and junior Zach Richard. Junior Liam Boylan-Pett is ranked fourth in the 1500-meter, and senior Gabe Johnston is ranked eighth in the same event.
The Lions will have three runners in the top-10 of the 3000-meter steeplechase: seniors Alan Weeth and Mark Olivier at fifth and seventh, and sophomore Jeff Randall at ninth. They will also have representation in sprint events, with sophomore Tyler Hendry ranked seventh in the 100-meter, and sophomore Jonny Ribeiro competing in the 200-meter.
The men don't run a 4x800-meter relay at Heps, and as of now the lineup for the 4x400-meter relay is not set. Hurtault and freshman Cory Benton will make up two legs, but the other two legs are still unclear.
One thing that could hurt the Lions' men is a lack of representation in the field events. Senior Jeff Oke will compete in the shot put for the Light Blue, but he is currently unranked in the league.
The women will also be well-represented in the middle-distance events, with three runners ranked in the top-10 of the 1500, including senior Susan Hendrick, who is ranked first. Senior Daniella Padilla is ranked fifth in the 1500 and is also ranked eighth in the 5000-meter.
After a spring season which saw strong performances at the Miami Elite Invitational, the Auburn Invitational, and the recent Penn Relays, the Light Blue women's hurdlers are in a good position to perform well at Heps. The Lions hold the top three spots in the 400-meter hurdles, with junior Whitney Crayton first, junior Osamuede Iyoha, who is also ranked third in the 100-meter hurdles, just behind her at second, and senior Katy Schlichtman ranked third.
Junior Shelby Leland is ranked sixth in the 3000-meter steeplechase event.
Unlike the men's side, the women will have representation in the field events, which will help them in the team scoring. Senior Alissa Ochs is ranked seventh in the triple jump with freshman Irena Ossola just behind her in eighth. Senior Sophia Dentzel is ranked third in the javelin throw.
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