Cambridge, MA--The Ephs headed back to Boston this weekend to take on MIT and Coast Guard Academy in a tri-meet hosted by MIT. Going into the meet, the Williams women knew they would have to bring their competitive edge to beat out MIT, one of their closest rivals. They didn’t disappoint, defeating the Engineers 208 to 132 and securing several qualifying marks in the process, as championship season is fast approaching. Four women went so far as to qualify for NCAA Championships.
The field team proved pivotal to the Ephs’s success, with Williams women taking first through third in both the long and triple jumps, sweeping the top 4 places in the weight throw, and claiming 4 of the top 5 spots in the shot put.
First-year Tanasia Hoffler continued to dominate the jumps, hitting 5.11m in the long jump and 11.36m in the triple to claim 1st place in both events and qualify for NCAA Championships in the triple. Brooke Johnson ’13 and Kathryn Evans ’12 took 2nd and 3rd in the long jump, jumping 5.08m and 4.67m, respectively. Johnson and Karyn Moss ’12 garnered points in the triple, finishing second and third and jumping 11.00m and 10.96m. First-year Julie Paschal, who has already qualified for NCAAs in the high jump, won the event as she cleared 1.60m.
In the throws, Madeline Watson ’12 and Eileen Becker ’12 had standout performances, with Watson winning the weight throw with a mark of 12.65m, and Becker claiming first in the shot put as she threw 11.55m. The throwers racked up points for the Ephs as Watson, Julia Cohan ’10, and Jasmine Adekoya ’13 took 3rd, 4th and 5th in the shot, while Becker, Adekoya, and Evans took 2nd through 4th in the weight throw.
On the oval, Williams runners faced stiff competition from the Engineers, but the Ephs worked together to finish in tight packs and earn points for the team, hitting personal records and season bests along the way.
Elise Johnson ’10 and Hillary Higgs ’12 stepped up in the sprints, taking 1st and 2nd in the 55m dash in 7.63 and 7.65, respectively. Johnson also qualified for NCAAs as she snagged 2nd place in the 55m hurdles, running 8.51. Higgs went on to run both the 200m and the 400m, finishing 2nd in the 200 in 25.81 (followed by Johnson and Hoffler in 25.81 and 26.53), and winning the 400 with a time of 57.57, well within the NCAA Championship provisional qualifier and not far off of a time that would earn her automatic entry into NCAAs (the auto qualifier is 56.75).
In the 600m, the Williams women packed together to snag 2nd through 6th places. Lizzy Danhakl ’11 ran 1:41.01 in her season debut and her first ever 600. Maya Harakawa ’12, Kathie Nyholm ’10, and Rebecca Fine ’13 were close behind, running 1:42.18, 1:42.53, and 1:42.95, respectively.
The 800m race showcased a similar packing strategy, with senior captain Nora Mitchell running a gutsy race to come out on top in 2:20.97. Olivia Delia ’12, Jess Clarke ’10, Alysha McElroy ’11, and Brooke Pfister ’13 took 3rd through 6th in the same race, with MIT runner Alicia Kaestli in 2nd, separating Mitchell and her teammates.
First-years Annie Dear and Jennifer Gossels teamed up in both the mile and the 1000m, facing off against MIT freshman Brooke Johnson in both events. In the mile, Dear took 3rd in 5:07.89 to qualify for Division I New Englands, and Gossels was 4th in 5:14.40, a time that qualified her for ECACs. In the 1000m, Dear snagged 2nd place in 3:06.68, with Gossels close behind in 3:08.23.
In the long distance events, the Ephs took advantage of the strong competition to garner qualifying times for upcoming championship meets, earning several points for Williams at the same time. Elly Teitsworth ’10 and Bret Scofield ’10 were both well within the ECAC qualifier for the 3000m, running 10:36.71 and 10:39.29, good for 2nd and 3rd place.
In the 5000m, Meghan Shea ’11, Natalie Davis ’12, and Elleree Erdos ’12 took 2nd through 4th, all qualifying for Division III New Englands in two weeks. Shea ran 18:50.06 in her first race of the season, while Davis and Erdos worked together to run a strategic race and finish with personal bests of 19:04.21 and 19:09.13, respectively.
On Friday, five Ephwomen traveled to Tufts compete in the indoor pentathlon before heading to MIT on Saturday. Sara Turner ’11 racked up 2812 points in a personal best performance, good for 3rd place. Paschal took 6th with 2517 points, and Sarah Guillot ’13 finished 9th. Hoffler and Moss had strong performances in the 60m hurdles, high jump, shot put, and long jump, but opted not to compete in the final event—the 800m—in order to perform at their peak in the MIT meet.
The Ephs head back to Boston next weekend for the final meets of the regular season before championship meets. Some women will compete in the Valentine’s Invitational at Boston University on Friday, while others will return to MIT for the MIT Invitational.
