Two school records fall and several NCAA qualifying marks reached for outdoor track teams at Columbia University Invitational

April 10, 2004

NEW YORK, NY- Junior Kirsten Larsen (Hampden, MA/Minnechaug Regional) and freshman Ryan Fitzgerald (Newport, RI/Rogers) shattered a pair of school records Saturday afternoon at the Columbia University Invitational, leading the Wheaton College men's and women's outdoor track and field teams in the non-scoring meet.

Larsen blew away the competition in the javelin, as she posted an NCAA Division III national meet automatic qualifying performance with a heave of 144' 2". Topping the next closest competitor by nearly 13', Larsen broke her own school mark by more than 6'. Fitzgerald shattered the Wheaton record in the shot put, finishing second with a throw of 48'.

For the second consecutive week, senior Amber James (Woodbury, MN/Woodbury) defeated the field in the 100- and 200-meter dashes, as she recorded an automatic qualifying time in the 200M in 24.41 and a provisional mark in the 100M in 12.27. James also anchored the provisional-qualifying 4x100-meter relay team, as she sided with junior Jessica Allegra (East Hampton, CT/East Hampton), sophomore Oly Wirtz (Fitchburg, MA/Fitchburg) and freshman Alison Amendola (Franklin, MA/Franklin) for a runner-up finish in 48.26.

Amendola placed second in the 200M in 25.48 and fourth in the 100M in 12.68, while Allegra took fourth in the 200M in 26.15 and sixth in the 100M in 12.77. Wirtz rounded out the list of Wheaton's top sprinters, finishing eighth in both the 100- and 200-meter events in 13.02 and 26.97, respectively. Also on the track, freshman Jennifer Harlow (East Bridgewater, MA/East Bridgewater) took fourth in the 100-meter hurdles in 15.93 and junior Erin O'Brien (North Easton, MA/Oliver Ames) placed ninth in the 1,500-meter run in 4:58.14.

On the field, first-year Crystal Blamy (Walpole, NH/Fall Mountain View) and junior Kathrine Wallace (Glenmoore, PA/The Hill School) placed second and third, respectively in the high jump at 5' 3". Wallace took fourth in the triple jump, while Harlow was eighth in the long jump. Freshmen Stephanie Cummings (Princeton, MA/Worcester Academy) and Hailey Gallant (Ashford, CT/E.O. Smith) finished second and tied for third, respectively in the pole vault, while classmate Katelyn Teixeira (Seekonk, MA/Seekonk) placed fourth in the javelin throw at 128' 10".

On the men's side, junior Dan Olson (Voorheesville, NY/Albany Academy) registered an NCAA national meet automatic qualifying performance in the high jump, topping the competition by clearing 7' 1", nearly an entire foot higher than the next closest competitor. Senior Erik Benson (Southbury, CT/Pomperaug) topped the field in the 400-meter dash with a provisional qualifying time of 48.30. He also finished second in the 200M in 22.08.

Wheaton's 4x100-meter relay team, consisting of senior Tyrone McClain (New Haven, CT/Hillhouse), sophomore Ajay Sisodia (Andover, MA/Andover) and freshmen Thomas Simmons (New Bedford, MA/New Bedford) and Jonathan Geffrard (Brooklyn, NY/Poly Prep CDS), just missed a provisional standard at 42.05. The foursome all finished among the top 10 athletes in the 100-meter dash, with Sisodia leading the way in fifth place with a time of 11.17.

Senior Terry Panetta (Hicksville, NY/St. Anthony's) led the Lyons' middle-distance performances with a sixth-place mark in the 1,500-meter run in 4:01.93. Junior Stan Pyle (South Portland, ME/South Portland) took seventh overall in the 3,000-meter race in 8:47.29, while classmate Patrick Freytag (Pittsford, NY/McQuaid Jesuit) placed 10th in the 400-meter hurdles in 57.85. In the field, Fitzgerald followed up his shot put performance with a solid showing in the discus, finishing fifth with a heave of 127' 11". Junior Chris Wilbur (Weymouth, MA/Weymouth) was second in the javelin throw with a distance of 169' 11".

Complete Results

Last updated on 4/12/04.
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