Lions Score, Ikono Makes History at Meet

While this weekend’s Princeton Invitational will not be a very significant factor in the Lions’ season, the Columbia track and field teams managed to make history and run some impressive times at the meet.

With only some of the team’s sprinters and field competitors participating in the invitational, the Lions did not race their distance squad or relay teams. As Ivy League Championships approach in two weeks, Columbia is presumably resting up to ensure strong finishes.

Junior Melissa Ikono set a new school record of 7.10 seconds in the 55-meter dash. The sprinter smashed Sandra Smith’s 1989 record of 7.76. Throughout the season, Ikono has had strong performances in the sprint events, and will no doubt be a significant contributor to team scoring come Ivy League Championships. Ikono’s performance this weekend qualifies her for the Eastern College Athletic Conference Championships. Freshman Nicole Oparake finished shortly after Ikono, and came in at 7.45—she also placed ninth in the 200-meter dash.

Other top women finishers include Elisse Douglas and Samantha Lee. Douglas, a junior, placed second in the 55-meter hurdles and qualified for the ECAC Championships with a time of 8.39 seconds. Douglas fell only to Princeton freshman Bianca Mathabane. Lee, a freshman, won the 1000-meter run, as she competed against two other runners.

On the men’s side, junior Tyler Hendry placed second in the 55-meter dash with a time of 6.50 seconds, defeating Princeton junior Shafiq Kashmiri. Sophomore Cory Benton took fifth in the 400-meter dash, defeating Kashmiri and Princeton freshman Jordan Sawadogo.

Although the Princeton Invitational results do not reflect the true strength of either Columbia or Princeton, the Tigers managed to deliver notable performances in certain events. Princeton ruled over the 800-meter races on both sides, with the women taking the top three spots and the men taking the top four spots. The Tigers also nabbed the top three places in the men’s 1000-meter race. Freshman Isabell von Loga surpassed the NCAA provisional qualifying mark and won the women’s shot put event. Princeton’s true strength lies in its distance squad, and the Tigers will undoubtedly prove to be a force in the longer events.

The Lions will compete next against the rest of the Ancient Eight at Ivy League Championships on March 1 and 2. The competition will take place in Ithaca, NY with the Cornell Big Red hosting.