Spring Break
TRACK: Alford and Bercy shine, but teams struggle in Atlanta
by Jeffrey Pickette
Senior writer
Sports | 4/24/07
Posted online at 10:20 PM EST on 4/23/07
/ Last updated at 8:54 PM EST on 4/23/07
In an early-season tournament with late-season significance, the outdoor track teams posted several strong individual results but unspectacular team performances.
The women's team finished fourth out of seven teams with 80 points, and the men's team came in last place with 66 points at the University Athletic Association championships at Emory University in Atlanta last weekend.
Olivia Alford '08 paced the women's team with career-best performances in the 200-meter and 400-meter dashes, and Mark Bercy '07 performed a solid all-around day for the men with five top-six finishes.
Coach John Evans cited the team's lack of depth and the fact that the championships are held early in the season as obstacles they faced.
"[For] most [of the team] this was only the second race of the year," Evans said. "We came in underprepared. [For] where we are in the season, we're getting better; [I'm] really pleased."
After spending the fall semester studying abroad in Brazil and struggling through the winter indoor track season, Alford returned to form at UAAs, taking first place in the 400-meter dash with a time of 59.09 seconds while finishing second in the dash with a time of 26.46 seconds.
"I was in fourth or fifth until the final stretch [of both races, but] I had enough energy left to kick it in [for a] strong finish," Alford said. "I was in better shape than I thought."
Meaghan Casey '09 continued her strong season, finishing the 800-meter in second place with a time of 2:18.99.
"Going into the [race], there was a lot of pressure," Casey said. "No one wanted to take a lead [early in the race], and I kicked too early."
In the preliminaries for the 800-meter race, Casey took first with a personal-best time of 2:15:15, milliseconds short of qualifying provisionally for the NCAA championships.
Despite a first-place finish in the triple jump, Anat Ben Nun '09 wasn't thrilled with her 11.06-meter distance.
The women's team finished fourth out of seven teams with 80 points, and the men's team came in last place with 66 points at the University Athletic Association championships at Emory University in Atlanta last weekend.
Olivia Alford '08 paced the women's team with career-best performances in the 200-meter and 400-meter dashes, and Mark Bercy '07 performed a solid all-around day for the men with five top-six finishes.
Coach John Evans cited the team's lack of depth and the fact that the championships are held early in the season as obstacles they faced.
"[For] most [of the team] this was only the second race of the year," Evans said. "We came in underprepared. [For] where we are in the season, we're getting better; [I'm] really pleased."
After spending the fall semester studying abroad in Brazil and struggling through the winter indoor track season, Alford returned to form at UAAs, taking first place in the 400-meter dash with a time of 59.09 seconds while finishing second in the dash with a time of 26.46 seconds.
"I was in fourth or fifth until the final stretch [of both races, but] I had enough energy left to kick it in [for a] strong finish," Alford said. "I was in better shape than I thought."
Meaghan Casey '09 continued her strong season, finishing the 800-meter in second place with a time of 2:18.99.
"Going into the [race], there was a lot of pressure," Casey said. "No one wanted to take a lead [early in the race], and I kicked too early."
In the preliminaries for the 800-meter race, Casey took first with a personal-best time of 2:15:15, milliseconds short of qualifying provisionally for the NCAA championships.
Despite a first-place finish in the triple jump, Anat Ben Nun '09 wasn't thrilled with her 11.06-meter distance.
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