Women

Led by another excellent performance from senior Naomi Bates, the women’s indoor track team won the ECAC championships last weekend. The Jeffs’ 38 points were just enough to hold off the MIT women, who collected 36.5 points.
Bates won the long jump and set a meet record in the process, posting a mark of 5.85 meters. She also took fourth in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.81 seconds. Karen Blake ’17 edged out Bates for third, also recording a time of 7.81. Blake’s semifinal time of 7.75 seconds set a program record.

Amherst also earned several notable finishes in the middle and long distance events, highlighted by the 4x800-meter relay team of Amy Dao ’14, Olivia Tarantino ’15, Kelli Ellingson ’15 and Hannah Herrera ’17, who placed second with a time of 9:34.96. Herrera also took 10th in the 800, finishing in 2:18.15, while Ellingson collected sixth in the 1000-meters. Dao rounded out the track top-10 finishes, earning 10th in the mile with a time of 5:09.05.

Two Jeffs collected points in the field events, as Kiana Herold ’17 cleared 1.69 meters to take third in the high jump, and sophomore Taylor Summers placed fourth in the long jump with a mark of 4.96 meters.

“I’m just really proud of our girls. They went out and really put a lot of effort into their perspective events, which shows by us winning the meet. Still the win was very surprising, but I think sometimes the unexpected win is the best kind of win,” Sophomore Louise Atadja said.

The qualifying Amherst women also travel to Lincoln, Neb. this weekend for the NCAA championships. Kiana Herold is in line to compete in the high jump, and Bates and Blake are in line to run in the 60-meters or the 200-meters. Blake will also compete in the long jump. Her mark of 5.89 meters is second-best in Div. III this year.

Men
The Amherst men’s indoor track team took limited numbers to both of its meets this week. On Thursday, a distance medley relay team that included juniors Romey Sklar and Greg Turissini, sophomore Brent Harrison and senior Matt Melton competed in the Tufts Last Chance Meet. As its name suggests, the meet is an additional chance for athletes to qualify for the NCAA Championships, which take place this coming weekend. The relay team turned in a mark of 10:01.04, qualifying them for the meet.

On Friday and Saturday, the Jeffs that qualified for the ECAC Championships, besides the medley relay group, collected 13 points in the meet. Their total was good for 23rd out of 62 teams, as NESCAC rival Bates took first with 47 points.

Sophomore Dan Crowley stood out for Amherst, taking second in the 3000-meters, with a time of 8:30.29. Other notables were Jeff Seelaus ’16, whose time of 4:20.42 earned sixth in the mile and Mark Cort ’15, who leaped 6.10 meters to take seventh in the long jump. Alex Durkee ’15, Jesse Fajnzylber ’17, Kevin Connors ’17 and Nick Codola ’15 made up a 4x800-meter relay team that ran an 8:02.10, placing seventh.

Melton’s time of 47.91 in the 400-meters, recorded at the NEICAAA championships, is the best in Div. III this year. The 15 Div. III athletes with the best marks in each event qualify for the NCAA championships, which will be held March 14-15 in Lincoln, Neb. According to head coach Erik Nedeau, Melton and the distance medley team will likely be the only Jeffs to compete.

“While Greg Turissini is entered in the 3000-meters, it is very unlikely he will get in,” he said. “He will just be focused on a great anchor leg for the relay.”