Men
The Amherst College men’s indoor track and field distance medley relay team set a NCAA Div. III record with a time of 9:48.61 at the 2015 NEICAAA indoor track and field championships hosted by Boston University last Friday, Feb. 27 and Saturday, Feb. 28.
In addition to the distance medley relay victory, the Jeffs recorded four other top-10 finishes. Senior Greg Turissini led the way with a mark of 8:23.86 en route to second place in the 3,000-meter run. First-year Mohamed Hussein also claimed a second-place finish in the 5,000 meters, running a time of 14:29.11, while teammate Raymond Meijer ’17 crossed the line in 14:59.39 to finish in ninth-place.
The Jeffs’ 4x800-meter relay team of Romey Sklar ’15, Kevin Connors ’17, Chris Butko ’18 and Brent Harrison ’16 ran a time of 7:44.92 to claim an eighth-place finish.
Amherst’s distance medley relay team of Sklar, David Ingraham ’18, Harrison and Turissini had entered the meet simply looking to qualify for nationals.
“Coach Ned had mentioned the national record to Greg [Turissini], but I didn’t think it was a possibility and was hoping for about a 9:52,” Harrison said.
The race featured an incredibly competitive field in which four squads posted times below 9:52. Turissini, the last Jeffs runner to receive the baton, edged Northeastern’s anchor by only two tenths of a second to claim the national record.
The field pushed Amherst throughout. The drama at the end, as Turissini put it, “certainly made for a great photo.” The Jeffs emphatically surpassed the high expectations with which they entered the meet, putting the distance medley relay team in focus for the rest of the season as the purple and white look to add more championships to this record-setting performance.
Amherst returns to the track this Friday and Saturday for the ECAC championships at the Armory Track & Field Center in New York City.
Women
The Amherst College women’s indoor track and field team competed at the 2015 NEICAAA indoor track and field championships hosted by Boston University last Friday and Saturday. The Jeffs scored 11 points, finishing 19th in a field of 38 teams from Divs. I, II and III.
Lexi Sinclair ’16 and Savanna Gornisiewicz ’17 led the Jeffs with top-five finishes in the distance events. Sinclair, competing in the 3,000-meter run, crossed the line in 9:49.98 to claim fourth place, while Gornisiewicz ran the 5,000 meters in a time of 17:15.44 to finish in fourth place as well.
The team also claimed two top-10 finishes in Friday’s preliminaries. Kelli Ellingson ’15 ran the 1,000 meters in a time of 2:58.71 to finish in ninth place, while Karen Blake ’17 posted a mark of 25.33 seconds in the 200-meter dash to claim tenth place.
In the high jump, Kiana Herold ’17 claimed eighth place with a leap of 1.65 meters.
“We had a really great meet last weekend. Nearly everyone on the team matched or beat their personal records,” Gornisiewicz said. “I think we are set up really well for [ECAC championships] next weekend and excited to wrap up the end of a great season.”
The purple and white return to action this Friday and Saturday for the two-day ECAC Championships at the Armory Track & Field Center in New York City.
