The Columbia track teams ventured upstate to take on eastern competition at the University of Albany Great Dane Classic this weekend. With both the men and women’s teams placing 12th, the Lions saw some tough performances from Ivy League contenders Penn and Princeton.

The Quaker women, competing for the first time at the Great Dane Classic, won the meet, followed by the Tigers with a close second. Princeton did not compete on the men’s side, but Penn took second in the contest, behind Albany. The Quakers asserted their general strength, raising expectations for spring Ivy League championships.

Columbia junior sprinter Melissa Ikono held her own in the 55-meter dash, as she finished in fourth place, far ahead of Penn’s runners. Junior Marissa Smith and sophomore Serita Lachesis took fourth and sixth, respectively, in the 500-meter event, but were no match for Penn senior Jesse Carlin. Carlin, who recently qualified for Eastern Conference championships in her event, won the race and almost broke her own school record.

Although the Lions’ core distance runners—Carmen Ballard, Jackie Drouin, and Stephanie Lenihan—did not compete in the meet, Columbia freshman Abbie Dubin-Rhodin, Samantha Lee, and Katherine Carrington had top-10 finishes in the one-mile, 1000-meter, and 3000-meter events. However, Princeton’s distance runners came out on top in most events. Cross-country champions this past season, the Tigers took first, second, fifth, and sixth in the 1-mile event, with Penn junior Kinjal Parikh tearing into fourth place. Princeton runners won the 800-meter, 1000-meter, and distance medley events. Penn seniors Stacy Kim and Claire Kim took the top two spots in the 3000-meter race.

The Lions only had four top-10 finishes in the men’s competition. Sophomore Stefan Vutescu took sixth place in the 55-meter dash, close behind Penn junior Joey Brown. Fellow sophomore Michael Mark, placed fifth, as he managed to edge out Penn’s junior sprinter Sam Shepherd in the 500-meter race. Senior Jonah Rathbun followed behind Mark in eighth place.

Penn runners placed in the top ten in the 1-mile, 800-meter, 3000-meter, 5000-meter, and 55-meter hurdles events. Quaker senior Tim Kaijala won the 1000-meter race for the second year in a row. In the relays, Penn placed fifth in the 4x400-meter and second in the distance-medley competitions. Columbia freshman Jeremy Whyte took third in the triple jump, but Quaker athletes dominated with top-ten finishes in the long jump and pole vault events.

The Great Dane Classic, while early on in the season, has given the Lions a chance to see and compete against the Penn and Princeton arsenals. While the Quakers and Tigers had impressive finishes this past weekend, the Lions have yet to bring their full distance squad to a meet.

This weekend’s Metropolitan Championships at the Armory will be the Light Blue’s next competition.