Spring Break
INDOOR TRACK: Ben Nun qualifies for NCAAs, but teams finish last
by Ian Cutler
Sports Editor
Sports | 1/20/09
Posted online at 11:08 PM EST on 1/19/09
Approximately one year and one month after having season-ending surgery on a torn meniscus, women's indoor track jumper Anat Ben Nun '09 stood in ready position in the triple jump at the Bowdoin College Invitational last Saturday, competing for the first time since her injury. It did not take long for her to regain her form.
On only her second attempt of the afternoon, Ben Nun, a two time All-American, qualified for the NCAA Division III Championships for the third time in her career in the triple jump, leaping a distance of 11.66 meters.
Ben Nun won the event for Brandeis, but the team fell 76-64 to Bowdoin College. The men's team also competed at the Bowdoin Invitational and finished third of three teams against Bowdoin and the University of Southern Maine.
Despite her long absence from the sport, Ben Nun said she had no problems with her first competition.
"It was pretty natural, just like I never stopped," she said. "It feels like home, doing what I love doing, especially when I do well. Before you jump, you don't really think, you just go."
For Ben Nun, the NCAA qualification is not something new, but she said it came as a surprise to do so well so early after a long rehabilitation process.
Ben Nun said she had not started running again until the beginning of fall 2008 and had not even begun jumping until she returned from winter break just a few weeks ago.
"Since the surgery I've been doing physical therapy trying to get better," she said. "It was a difficult time, but coming back now after winter break I just started triple jumping again and did not expect to do extremely well in this meet. I was really surprised and really happy. All the work I put in finally paid off. It's good to be back."
The rest of the women's team saw strong performances from other runners, winning five additional events on the day. Classmates Hannah Lindholm '11, Lucia Capano '11, and Michelle Gellman '11 were victorious in the one-mile event, the 55-meter dash and the 400-meter run respectively, while Suzanne Berneir '10 took home the high jump with with a leap of 1.62 meters.
On only her second attempt of the afternoon, Ben Nun, a two time All-American, qualified for the NCAA Division III Championships for the third time in her career in the triple jump, leaping a distance of 11.66 meters.
Ben Nun won the event for Brandeis, but the team fell 76-64 to Bowdoin College. The men's team also competed at the Bowdoin Invitational and finished third of three teams against Bowdoin and the University of Southern Maine.
Despite her long absence from the sport, Ben Nun said she had no problems with her first competition.
"It was pretty natural, just like I never stopped," she said. "It feels like home, doing what I love doing, especially when I do well. Before you jump, you don't really think, you just go."
For Ben Nun, the NCAA qualification is not something new, but she said it came as a surprise to do so well so early after a long rehabilitation process.
Ben Nun said she had not started running again until the beginning of fall 2008 and had not even begun jumping until she returned from winter break just a few weeks ago.
"Since the surgery I've been doing physical therapy trying to get better," she said. "It was a difficult time, but coming back now after winter break I just started triple jumping again and did not expect to do extremely well in this meet. I was really surprised and really happy. All the work I put in finally paid off. It's good to be back."
The rest of the women's team saw strong performances from other runners, winning five additional events on the day. Classmates Hannah Lindholm '11, Lucia Capano '11, and Michelle Gellman '11 were victorious in the one-mile event, the 55-meter dash and the 400-meter run respectively, while Suzanne Berneir '10 took home the high jump with with a leap of 1.62 meters.
Be the first to comment on this story