The Columbia track and field teams brought a tough arsenal to the Armory this weekend, improving upon last year’s Metropolitan Championships performances and finishing third on the women’s side and fourth on the men’s. The men’s 4x800 relay also delivered a standout fourth-place finish at the Millrose Games later in the day.
The relay squad, made up of sophomore Mike Mark and seniors Jonah Rathbun, Liam Boylan-Pett, and Zach Richard, competed against groups from nationally-ranked track programs at Friday’s Millrose Games. Currently the number one team according to NCAA Division I rankings, Arkansas won the relay, followed by Villanova and Georgetown. The Hoyas are currently 79th in the nation. The Lions did manage to defeat Ivy League competitor Cornell despite the Big Red being ranked 29th.
Earlier in the day at the Metropolitan Championships, the women’s team walked away from the meet with top-10 finishes in 12 events and tied Manhattan College for third. The men, succumbing to top-three teams Manhattan, Seton Hall, and Rutgers, placed 14 athletes in the top 10 in their events.
Sophomore Serita Lachesis took first in the 800-meter event, followed by freshmen Abbie Dubin-Rhodin and Samantha Lee whose strong performances allowed them to finish in fourth and fifth. The Lions’ distance squad also pulled through this weekend, with senior Carmen Ballard and juniors Megan Lessard and Alaina Miller placing second, sixth, and seventh in the one-mile race. Junior Marissa Smith placed third in the 500-meter event, and junior Melissa Ikono, a meet veteran, took sixth in the 60-meter dash. Both the 4x400 and the 4x800 relays finished well, with the 4x400 squad placing fourth and the 4x800 group placing third. Other notable efforts came from freshman Erin Hays in the 1000-meter, freshman Jillian Goodwin in the 3000-meter, and freshman Jillian Pollack in the 5000-meter events.
The Light Blue men took two wins over the course of the meet. Junior Ryan Hays won the 1000-meter, followed by freshman Blake Arnold in sixth. Junior Jeff Randall took first in the one-mile race with an impressive 4:15.24, and junior Ross Turner and freshman Tom Poland rounded out the distance pack in second and third. The distance medley relay nabbed second place, and representing the sprinters, sophomore Stefan Vutescu placed second in the 60-meter dash. The Lions lacked depth in field events, but consistent jumper Jeremy Whyte took sixth in the triple jump.