Track Triumphs but Needs To Pick Up the Pace for Ivies

The Lafayette-Rider Invitational brought mixed tidings for the Columbia track and field teams this weekend. While individuals succeeded on both the men’s and women’s sides, the competition proved that come Ivy League Championships, the Lions will face tough opposition from this weekend’s participants, Penn and Cornell.

The Light Blue did not run all of its strongest runners this weekend and still managed to win five events for the women and earned a sweep on the men’s side. In many events, however, Penn and Cornell squared off for the top spots with Columbia. Two weeks away from league championships, the Lions will have to dig deep to take on the six nationally ranked Ivy schools. The Quakers are ranked 39th in the men’s standings and 37th in the women’s, and the Big Red is 38th for the men and 81st for the women, according to the most recent poll. Columbia is currently unranked.

Columbia’s women’s team delivered in its distance events, with senior Shelby Leland winning the 5,000-meter race, followed by freshman Katherine Carrington in third. The Lions, smoking Penn, managed a 1-2-3 finish in the 3,000-meter event thanks to senior Stephanie Lenihan, junior Alaina Miller, and sophomore Christina Henderson.

The 1,000-meter race, however, went to Penn senior Stacy Kim, who defeated Columbia freshman Abbie Dubin-Rhodin by 10 seconds. Two of the Quakers’ remaining runners placed in the top 10. The two teams faced off again in the one-mile run, with Penn senior Claire Kim winning the race, followed by two Columbia runners—freshman Jackie Drouin and junior Megan Lessard—and Quaker junior Kinjal Parikh.

The Columbia women also performed well in the sprints and mid-distance events, but continued to battle with Penn. Junior Melissa Ikono took second in the 60-meter dash behind Penn senior Shaunee Morgan, and freshman Nicole Oparaeke came in at eighth place. Senior Erika Moses finished second in the 200-meter dash, defeated by Morgan and followed by Ikono in fourth place. Quaker senior Jesse Carlin, nationally ranked in fifth place in the 800-meter event, swept the 400-meter race this weekend, defeating tenth-place finisher, Columbia freshman Laura Vogel. Sophomore Serita Lachesis, defeating Penn sophomore Anna Aagenes, won the 800-meter event, and junior Marissa Smith won the 500-meter race. Senior Osamuede Iyoha won the 60-meter hurdles, followed by freshman Melesa Johnson and junior Elisse Douglass in fourth and fifth. The 4x800-meter relay, made up of senior Carmen Ballard, Serita Lachesis, freshman Jackie Drouin and Erin Hays, finished second behind the Penn squad of Aagenes, S. Kim, C. Kim, and Parikh.

The Light Blue men virtually swept the one-mile race, with senior Liam Boylan-Pett, senior Zach Richard, junior Jeff Randall, and sophomore William Ballenthin coming in first, second, fourth, and fifth. Penn took the 800-meter race, however, thanks to senior Tim Kaijala’s winning performance. Kaijala, nationally ranked third in the 800-meter, will be tough competition for Columbia runners freshman Jeff Moriarty, sophomore Mike Mark, and senior Jonah Rathbun, who placed third, fifth, and sixth.

The 4x400-meter relay team, comprised of Mark, Rathbun, Moriarty, and sophomore Cory Benton, placed fourth behind second-place finisher Penn. Sophomore Stefan Vutescu came in fourth in the 60-meter dash.

The Lions’ next meet will take place on Saturday, Feb. 23, at the Princeton Invitational. Ivy League Championships will occur the following weekend.