Senior tri-captain John Babbott picked up the lone victory for the Amherst men

Amherst Kicks Off Outdoor Season at Bantam Invitational

April 2, 2007

HARTFORD, CT – The Amherst College men’s and women’s track and field teams began their outdoor seasons with the Bantam Invitational at Trinity College this past weekend. Despite spending little time in preparation for the first meet, with some athletes using the Invite as a first practice session, the Lord Jeffs took advantage of the nice weather and posted some solid marks in their debut.

The day began with the 10,000-Meter Run, where Amherst executed a controlled-tempo strategy to perfection, as the five Lord Jeffs finished fourth through eighth with only 12 seconds separating them. Senior tri-captain John Babbott (Ojai, CA) picked up the lone victory for the men on the day, pulling ahead in the final 600 meters of the 5,000-Meter Run to edge out a slew of runners from Wesleyan University. Robert Boley (Mount Pleasant, MI) and Peter Foote (Shelburne, VT) also finished with solid times in the event, placing ninth and tenth, respectively.

The 4x400 relay team of Basile Beaty (Belmont, MA), Kit Callahan (Evanston, IL), Rom Cabeza (Enfield, CT) and Steve Stewart (Hartford, CT) grabbed third place overall. Stewart also saw success in the Triple Jump, where he placed third overall.

Like the men, the women got the day started with a controlled-effort 10k run, and Nicole Anderson (Kailua, HI), Katie Moravec (Chico, CA) and Liz Dalton (Wayne, PA) finished 2nd, 3rd and 5th, respectively. Shauneen Garrahan (Fairfax Station, VA) and Elise Tropiano (Plainview, NY) both doubled up in the 1500 and 5000, with the pair finishing first and second in the 5000 and Garrahan hitting an NCAA provisional mark in the 1500. Sophie Galleher (Denver, CO) and Caitlin Murphy (Newton, MA) ran the 5k for the first time and posted solid marks to finish 4th and 5th.

Maria Millard (Orono, ME), competing in the 400 Hurdles, did not take long to continue her attack on the record books as she lowered the school record to a 64.71, just missing the NCAA provisional time. Hannah Campbell (Haverstraw, NY) finished 2nd in the 400, 3rd in the 200 and then capped her day with a victory as she, along with Millard, Carly Levenson (Richmond, VA) and Kate Silverman (Upper Montclair, NJ) had an exciting come-from-behind victory in the 4x400.

Levenson finished 4th in the 400, while Jenny Mancino (New York, NY) - who missed the indoor season due to an ankle injury - started her outdoor season with a 5th-place run in the 400. The 800 was another bright spot, as the long sprinters opened up the season with a great run in that event with only a second separating Mary Doris Reggie (Crowley, LA), Molly Priedeman (Wayzata, MN) and Hoiwan Cheung (Hanover, NH) in 10th, 11th and 14th, respectively.

Zandra Walton (Skaneateles, NY) and Meg Ray (Menands, NY) each returned after the winter off, and all finished well under five minutes in the 1500 and doubled back in the 800. Another first-time track competitor, Angela Coombs, finished in the Top 10 in both the shot put and the discus, while Jennifer Rybak (Clifton Park, NY) grabbed 6th in the Long Jump.

The Lord Jeffs return to action Saturday, Apr. 14 when they travel to Williams College for the Williams Relay.

FULL RESULTS