HEPS/Big East Conference Roundup

BY Elliott Denman 

12-May -- Cornell's Big Red came up big in the final three events to grab the men's Ivy League Heptagonal team title in the Saturday-Sunday meet at Yale's Cuyler Field and Dwyer Track in New Haven, Connecticut.

Powered by double hurdles champion Max Hairston, who took the 110 highs in 13.94 and the 400 intermediates in 51.49, and weight great Steve Mozia (already a world championships competitor for Nigeria), the shot put winner at 63-3.5, and third-placer in both the discus and hammer, Cornell registered 149 points to nose out three-time Heps defender Princeton's 142 and 1/3.

More acclaim for Hairston - not since Penn's Randy Cox, with meet record 13.91 and 50.16 wins in 1987, had the Heps seen a men's hurdles doubler.

As usual in the always tightly-contested, history-laden Heps, it boiled down to the concluding events and Cornell took it with three scorers in the high jump, and Mozia's third in the discus. Harvard (109) snared third, trailed by Penn (82), Dartmouth (66 2/3), Columbia (61), and Brown (52) and host Yale (20).

Cornell hadn't won the men's Heps since 2010 and had other winners in the Justin McCollin-Larry Gibson-Steven Bell-Bruno Hortelano 40.42 4x100 relay team, and the Cisco Olloqui-Hairston-Will Weinlandt-Gibson 3:10.76 4x400 squad.

It might not have been this close if Hortelano - the national 200-meter record-holder for Spain (with his 20.47 at last year's World Championships in Moscow) - had not sat out the 100 and 200 finals (he'd clocked 10.48 and 21.15 in Saturday's prelims.) after anchoring the winning 4x100 team early on Sunday's card.

But Princeton suffered a tough blow, too, when star pole vaulter Adam Bragg passed the first three heights and then missed all three at his opening bar of 16-2.75.

The Tigers did have impressive winners in sprinter John Hill (10.66 100), 400 man Tom Hopkins (47.07), 5000 runner Chris Bendtsen (14:28.71), and three-time triple jump king Damon McLean (51-9).

In another key to the team battle, Cornellian Gibson was the 200 winner over Princeton's Hopkins, 21.30 to 21.36.

Columbia seniors Harry McFann (1:48.73) and Brendon Fish (1:48.90) ran 1-2 in the 800. Later, the Rob Napolitano-Gregorek-Fish-McFann foursome won the 4x800 in 7:24.11.

Penn sophomore Thomas Awad (420th member of the U.S. sub-4-minute mile club) stepped all the way up to the 10,000 meters and won the 25-lapper in 29:26.13. Quaker teammate Maalik Reynolds cleared 7-4.5 to win the high jump for the third straight year (but the unchallenged Heps HJ record remains the great 7-7 leap by Princeton's Tora Harris in 2002). And Quaker soph Sam Mattis collected the discus gold at 192-8, extending the meet mark of 191-5 he'd set as a freshman.

Brown's Evan Weinstock totaled 7,381 to win the decathlon.

In perhaps the Heps' greatest historical note, freshman Elliot Sato won the long jump at 25-4.5 - it wasn't a meet record but erased the Harvard record of 25-3.75 that was set by Edward "Ned" Gourdin all the way back in 1921.

Sato edged Princeton's Hopkins by exactly one inch. (The famed Gourdin went on to win the silver medal at the 1924 Olympic Games and in 1958 became the first African-American member of the Massachusetts Supreme Court).

It was Harvard, though, atop the Heptagonal Ivy women's standings. In a stunning result, the Crimson women led the Heps pack for the first time since 1990 and just the second time ever.

Their 162-point score included five event champions and fought off Abbey D'Agostino-led Dartmouth (149), Cornell (94), Columbia (88), Princeton (86), Brown (61 1/2), Penn (46 1/2) and Yale (26).

D'Agostino, the tireless multi-NCAA champion, truly put on a show with wins in the 3,000 meters (a meet record 9:14.75), the 5,000 (16:34.48) and 10,000 (33:10.38 in her debut at the 25-lap distance).

Princeton's Julia Ratcliffe - the NCAA's (and New Zealand's) top womens' hammer thrower - continued her unbeaten season with a 222-3 heave (topping the meet mark of 218-2 she'd notched last year). 

Another Tiger winner was pole vaulter Samantha Anderson at 12-4.5.

The Harvard gold medalists were Erika Veidis (2:06.23 800), Autumne Franklin (23.57 100 hurdles), Jade Miller (58.72 400 hurdles), shot putter Nikki Okwelogu (52-7.25), plus a meet-record 45.40 4x100 win. 

Marvellous Iheukwumere of Columbia led the 100 prelims in 11.63, claimed the 200 title in 24.04, but settled forseventh in the 100 final, won by  Dartmouth's Katilin Whitehorn in 11.74. Cornell surged with a Zena Kolliesuah (54.40) 1-2-3, 24-point slam in the 400.

Penn's Kelsery Hay extended the Heps javelin meet record to 164-1.  Columbia had another winner in triple jumper Nadia Eke at 42-4 3/4. Dartmouth's Janae Dunchack (with 5.228) outpointed her Heps heptathlon rivals.

*****

Two weeks after their Penn Relays glory days, Villanova University's men and women's teams continued doing very big things in the 23rd Big East Championships, held  on their home track. It was the sixth win for the Wildcat men, but their first since 1986. The Villanova women made it nine Big East crowns and their second straight.

A Big East record score of 225.5 points powered the Villanova men,  coached by Marcus O'Sullivan, who won decisively over DePaul (166), Georgetown (157), Marquette (150.5). Butler (59), Providence (39) and Xavier (29).

The Villanova women, coached by Gina Procaccio, were nearly as dominant as the Wildcat men, netting 218 points to overwhelm Georgetown (128), Marquette (120), DePaul (115), St. John's and Butler (88 each), Xavier and Providence (45 each).

Villanovans Jordan Williamsz (3:47.16) and Robert Denault (3:47.76) breezed to a 1-2 in the 1500; Patrick Tiernan (13:56.01) and Sam McEntee (14:22.3) ran 1-2 in the 5000; Andrew Sandifer claimed the 110 highs in 15.19, and teammate PJ Succi topped the decathletes with a 5,446 score.

Georgetown distancemen made their mark, as Dylan Sorensen (8:55.28) led a 1-2-3 sweep in the steeplechase, and Andrew Springer (30:01.82) and Brian King went 1-2 in the 10,000.

DePaul's men did their most damage in the sprints, with Xavier Jones doubling the 100 (10.61), and 200 (21.72) in a 1-2-3 sweep, Mac Melto (47.29) and Brandon Threats 1-2 in the 400, plus a 41.89 4x100 win.

NCAA indoor mile titlist Emily Lipari dipped down to the 800 and won it in 2:05.66 with Villanova teammate Nicky Akande next over the line in 2:06.87. Then, with Leanne Tucker, Angel Piccirillo and Stephanie Schappert running the first three legs, Lipari anchored a meet record-setting 8:33.36 4x800 team. Georgetown's runner-up 8:34.02 was also under the Big East meet mark of 8:34.23 by the 2013-Lipari-anchored Wildcats.

Armory veteran and New York City native Sabrina Southerland (Georgetown) broke the 800 championship record in the prelims, clocking a blazing 2:04.21.

A 1-2-3-4-6 finish by the Villanova javelin throwers, led by Jamie Klein's 142-2 toss, delivered 32 vital and nearly clinching points. High jumper Samantha Yeats (5-8.75) and 100 hurdler Emerald Walden (14.15) added two more Villanova wins.

Claire Mooney of St. John's claimed the 400 gold in 54.69; Georgetown's Deseree Allen (58.79) outdueled Amber Allen of St. John's (59.79) for the 400 hurdles title. It was Taylor Doaty-anchored Georgetown taking the 4x400 relay in 3:39.29 over the Allen-anchored St. John's squad's 3:42.23. Amanda Kimbers of Georgtown doubled the Big East dashes, winning in 11.45 and 23.81.

Next up for almost all these East Coast squads is the combined IC4A men's and ECAC women's championships starting this Friday at Princeton's Weaver Stadium.

Photo: Courtesy of Chris Lotsbom