The Muhlenberg Weekly

Issue date: 2/22/07 Section: Sports

At the Princeton Invitational on Saturday, the Men's and Women's Track and Field teams showed that they are prepared to take on the Centennial Conference this weekend. The Mules had two school record breaking performances, as well as fifteen incredible performances earning spots on Muhlenberg's all-time top ten lists.

Freshman Alex Faust excelled once again in the pole vault. Faust jumped a height of 11-3.75 feet, which not only extended her own school record, but also broke the Centennial Conference's women's pole vault record. In addition, this vault qualified her for the NCAA national competition. Junior Sara Gearin and sophomore Kathryn Niedzwiecki turned in strong performances in the distance events, finishing fourth in the 3,000 meters and third in the 1,000 meters respectively. Junior Erika Koop and senior Katie Hesselink-Hicks took first and second in the high jump, both jumping a height of 5-1. Senior Jacquelyn Inverso jumped a distance of 35-7.75 feet in the triple jump, which qualified her for the ECAC competition. Koop expressed a great deal of enthusiasm for the upcoming Conference Championships, saying, "This meet allowed us to sharpen up and prepare to compete next weekend. We're all looking forward to the Conference meet, because we have high expectations. We believe that we can do just as good, if not better, than last year. We're ready to show the Conference what this team is made of."

Another school record was set by sophomore Stuart Udis in the 1,000 meters. Udis finished first with a time of 2:31.80, shattering the previous school record by almost three seconds. Of the Princeton Invitational, Udis said, "The 1,000 was a nice tune-up for Conferences for myself and Dave Chorney. After good performances across the board this past weekend, it seems like everybody is confident and ready to run fast at Conferences." Aside from Udis, the Men's Team received ECAC qualifying performances from senior Lex Mercado, sophomore David Chorney and junior Michael Karchner. Mercado finished the 800 in 1:57.24, placing fifth, while Chorney followed Udis closely in the 1,000 meters, finishing in second place with a time of 2:34.59. Karchner leaped a distance of 21-9 in the long jump, while classmate Adam Carter cleared six feet in the high jump.

Throughout the winter season, both the Men's and Women's Track and Field Teams have shown that they have a tremendous amount of depth, and the ability to excel in every aspect of competition. Muhlenberg athletes have prospered throughout the season, qualifying for the ECACs and breaking records in the sprint, mid-distance and distance events, as well as in all of the field events.

If all goes well, both teams should be top contenders for the Conference Championship this coming weekend. Haverford College will be hosting the Centennial Conference Track and Field Championships on Sat., Feb. 24 and Sun., Feb. 25.

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