The CMS Stags and Athenas swept the SCIAC multi-dual track meet held on Saturday, Apr. 11 at Whittier College. This is the fifth straight year for the men and fourth straight year for the women that CMS has finished 7-0 in dual meets.
The men dominated the conference—the closest dual meet opponent, Redlands, lost with a score of 105-58. CMS athletes won 12 of 19 events, including all eight field events. Jeff Clark HM ’09 was the only three-event winner of the meet, taking the high, long, and triple jumps. Taylor Berliant CM ’11 was another multi-event winner in the shot put and hammer throw, improving one inch in the shot put. Matt Streshinsky HM ’11 won the pole vault with a personal record, Andrew Bogrand CM ’09 won the javelin, and Grant Heffernan CM ’11 the discus. Heffernan’s seven foot personal improvement qualified him for nationals. Matt Ezer CM ‘09 won the 100 and 200 meter races with two personal best times, in what coach John Goldhammer says was the senior’s “best sprint day ever.”
In the distance events, the men showed some strong performances. Brian Kopczynski CM ’11 won the steeplechase in a personal record time, while Kris Brown CM ’11 cruised to a first place finish in the 5000 meter race, followed closely by teammate Florian Scheulen HM ’10. In the 1500 meter race that got out to a slow start, Dillon Ayers HM ’11 took a close second to P-P’s John Mering, with Georgi Dinolov HM ’11 not far behind for the third.
The men will be looking to have even more standout performances at the conference championship in an effort to capture their 18th straight title.
The women, meanwhile, had a less dominating performance, pulling out a close win to Cal Lutheran at 84-75. Event winners were Evelyn Ross SC ’09 in the 5000 meters, Aubrey Doede CM ’11 in the high jump, and Maggie Crank CM ’09 in the discus.
Reny Colton CM ’12 had a successful day, placing second in both the long and triple jumps. Her triple jump personal record was also a NCAA qualifying mark.
The 4×400 meter relay team’s win, the last event on the track, sealed the meet for the Athenas.
There were some tight races among the more competitive women’s field. In the 1500 meter race, the second through sixth finishers were all within one second of each other, including Katie Harris SC ’09 in second and Emery Hilles SC ’12 in sixth. Goldhammer cited both Harris’s and Hilles’s personal record times, each by 5 seconds, as “one of the few bright spots for the women.”
Despite finishing with an undefeated SCIAC record, Goldhammer is expecting more top performances, and especially personal records, at the conference championship.
“It’s still about how you perceive this past Saturday,” he said. After winning the dual meet last year and then suffering a close loss to Redlands at the championships, the women’s team is looking to remain focused and bring the conference title back to CMS.
“I plan to leave it all on the field next week,” said senior thrower Mary Moore SC ’09. “I have really enjoyed getting to know this team, and I see a lot of potential.”
Teammate Crank echoed Moore’s sentiments. “The multi-duals are a great way for us to see where we are in our training, and what the rest of the teams look like,” she said. “We need to make the most of our last few practices and be serious about how our season will end.”
In the first round of national rankings, the Stags are ranked first and the Athenas third. Some athletes will head to the Bryan Clay Invitational at Azusa Pacific this weekend for a final competing opportunity before the SCIAC championships at Occidental College on Saturday, Apr. 25 and Monday, Apr. 27.