Lions Look to Distance Squads to Rack Up Points at Princeton Invitational

Nearing the Ivy League Championships, the Columbia men’s and women’s track teams will compete at the Princeton Invitational this Saturday, facing off against the Tigers. This weekend’s meet will be a test for both teams’ distance squads, evenly matched in their depth.

Princeton, ranked 33rd nationally for the men’s team and 83rd for the women’s team, is coming off wins over Harvard and Yale last weekend. Thus far, both of the Tigers’ squads have achieved notable success this season, with the men’s team outdoing the women’s in some meets. At the New Balance Collegiate Invitational earlier this month, the Princeton men placed above Columbia, while the Light Blue women ranked above the Tigers.

The Princeton women will have a strong arsenal to bring to this weekend’s competition. Sophomores Liz Costello and Christy Johnson are nationally ranked milers, with Costello coming in 17th and Johnson placing 28th. The Tigers’ distance medley relay is also ranked 18th in the country. Costello and Johnson ran NCAA championship provisional qualifying times at last weekend’s Harvard-Princeton-Yale tri-meet. Princeton’s freshman distance runner Ashley Higginson will also be a presence this Saturday, having run an NCAA championship time in the mile event and an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) qualifying time in the 3,000-meter race.

Junior Michael Maag, who is nationally ranked in the mile and 3,000-meter events, will dominate the men’s events. Maag nearly made a career milestone last weekend, coming close to breaking the four-minute mile barrier in 4:00.43. The miler may go for his goal at his home course at the Princeton Invitational. The men’s team, a constant presence in the national rankings, also has senior David Nightingale contributing to the distance effort. Nightingale is ranked 26th in both the 3,000-meter and 5,000-meter events and has earned an NCAA provisional qualifying time in the 5,000-meter race.

The Lions did not compete in the Princeton Invitational last season and will look to this meet to size up their Ivy competition. At last year’s spring Heptagonal Championships, the Tigers placed second in both the men’s and women’s contests, defeating the Light Blue men in fifth and the women in fourth.

Racing will take place on Saturday, Feb. 23 in Lawrenceville, N.J.