Spring Break
TRACK: Ben Nun takes All-American honors
by Julie Ganz
Sports editor
Sports | 3/13/07
Posted online at 10:57 PM EST on 3/12/07
/ Last updated at 12:20 PM EST on 3/12/07
While the women's indoor track team was paced by a healed star at this weekend's NCAA championships in Terre Haute, Ind., the men's team caught the injury bug at the wrong time.
After a hamstring injury sidelined her earlier in the season, Anat Ben Nun '09 earned All-American honors for the second straight year by finishing third place in the triple jump with an 11.52-meter leap. In the men's distance medley relay, the quartet of Dan Suher '08, Ralph Chery '07, Keith Thibault '10 and Matt Jennings '09 finished ninth place with a time of 10 minutes, 10.40 seconds, less than three seconds shy of earning All-American status. Suher filled in for John Guilinger '08, who suffered a season-ending quadriceps injury Feb. 11.
"[Ben Nun] is an experienced jumper [and] a very mature athlete," coach Mark Reytblat said. Lincoln University finished first place overall among the men with a total of 59 points, while Williams College won the women's competition with 42 points.
Ben Nun earned the 13th seed at Nationals with an 11.44-meter jump at the Feb. 10 Boston University Valentine Classic. She placed second at NCAAs as a rookie last year with an 11.74-meter jump. That year, she finished behind only City College of New York senior Alecia Watson, who won the triple jump for the second-consecutive year Saturday with a Division III season-best 12.17-meter jump.
After surpassing her last year, Ben Nun fell short of Williams College senior Caroline Doctor, who picked up second place with an 11.83-meter leap.
"[Doctor] got a lot stronger this year," Ben Nun said. "She [achieved her personal best] early in the season and she was very consistent."
The men took ninth place out of 10 after losing Guilinger, an integral team member who took first place in the 1,000-meter run at the Feb. 3 Tufts University Stampede.
"[The medley relay team] would have probably been in the top-three [had Guilinger been able to compete]," Reytblat said.
After a hamstring injury sidelined her earlier in the season, Anat Ben Nun '09 earned All-American honors for the second straight year by finishing third place in the triple jump with an 11.52-meter leap. In the men's distance medley relay, the quartet of Dan Suher '08, Ralph Chery '07, Keith Thibault '10 and Matt Jennings '09 finished ninth place with a time of 10 minutes, 10.40 seconds, less than three seconds shy of earning All-American status. Suher filled in for John Guilinger '08, who suffered a season-ending quadriceps injury Feb. 11.
"[Ben Nun] is an experienced jumper [and] a very mature athlete," coach Mark Reytblat said. Lincoln University finished first place overall among the men with a total of 59 points, while Williams College won the women's competition with 42 points.
Ben Nun earned the 13th seed at Nationals with an 11.44-meter jump at the Feb. 10 Boston University Valentine Classic. She placed second at NCAAs as a rookie last year with an 11.74-meter jump. That year, she finished behind only City College of New York senior Alecia Watson, who won the triple jump for the second-consecutive year Saturday with a Division III season-best 12.17-meter jump.
After surpassing her last year, Ben Nun fell short of Williams College senior Caroline Doctor, who picked up second place with an 11.83-meter leap.
"[Doctor] got a lot stronger this year," Ben Nun said. "She [achieved her personal best] early in the season and she was very consistent."
The men took ninth place out of 10 after losing Guilinger, an integral team member who took first place in the 1,000-meter run at the Feb. 3 Tufts University Stampede.
"[The medley relay team] would have probably been in the top-three [had Guilinger been able to compete]," Reytblat said.
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