A large squad of Mammoths travelled to the Division III Indoor Track & Field National Championships, which were held at the Birmingham Metro CrossPlex in Birmingham, Alabama. The trip south was highlighted by the seventh-place finish of Kristian Sogaard ’19 in the 800 meter, an achievement that garnered him his second All-American honor.
The Mammoths were both one of five men’s teams to qualify both the 4x400 and medley relays for the meet and the only NESCAC team in the 4x400 meter relay, let alone both events.
For the second meet in a row, the Amherst men’s track and field team travelled east to compete at Tufts. This past weekend, the Mammoths competed in the Cupid Challenge, a smaller meet featuring strong teams from the New England, Mideast and Atlantic regions, in addition to international competition from the University of Québec at Montréal.
Amherst had a solid performance and competed well against a talented field at the unscored meet.
With victories in the 60-meter hurdles, 5,000-meter run and 4x400 meter relay on Saturday at the inaugural Branwen Smith-King Invitational hosted by Tufts, the Amherst men’s track team showed that they are a team with many strengths, one to be feared as championship season approaches.
The meet was scored and the Mammoths finished fourth with 76 points, as Division II Stonehill College won the meet with 147 points.
For the fourth year in a row, the Amherst Men’s Cross Country team qualified for the NCAA DIII Cross Country National Championship.
The Mammoths placed second to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with 91 points to the 81 scored by the Engineers. The top two teams at every regional meet automatically qualify for nationals.
The 2017-2018 season looks to be promising for the Amherst men’s track and field team, which includes a solid core of returners and several first-years looking to make an impact for the Mammoths. The team adds three first-years in Andrew Swenson, Kyland Smith and Ryan Prenosil, in addition to Bill Massey, Jamie Mazzola and Braxton Schuldt who competed for the Mammoths in cross country this fall.
This will be the first season since 2012 where the men’s and women’s teams will be combined, so there will be a group of six coaches leading the Mammoths.
On Friday, the Amherst men’s cross country team sent nine runners to compete at the Paul Short Run, hosted by Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Penn. Competing in the Gold Race, the Mammoths placed 25th with 664 points in a field of mostly Division I and II schools and were the second highest placing Division III team behind Haverford College. Utah State University bested Georgetown, winning the 40-team race with 119 points to the Hoyas’ 167 points.
On Saturday, Sept. 23, the men’s cross country team traveled to rival Williams for the annual Purple Valley Classic. The Mammoths placed third out of 27 teams with 109 points, while SUNY Geneseo, led by individual champion Isaac Garcia-Cassani, claimed the team victory with 87 points.
Just ahead of the Mammoths was Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in second place with 95 points. Archrival and defending NESCAC Champions Williams placed fifth with 136 points.
