Author: Caroline Olsen-Van Stone
While many students enjoyed a week of spring break, the track and field team only had the first half to relax and then returned to train for two important meets last Friday and Saturday.
College runners, Olympic athletes and Los Angeles Running Club members competed at Occidental’s annual Distance Carnival last Friday, Mar. 14. This event, which took a month to plan, brings in important revenue for the team, boosts publicity and gives Oxy distance runners a chance to compete on their home track.
The Tigers are currently in the top four for their women’s team and top three for their men’s team. This event helped the runners maintain a competitive spot in the SCIAC Final Championship to be held at the end of April.
Though the Distance Carnival is not scored, the times for Occidental distance runners are transferred and counted in the SCIAC Top Four event, which took place Saturday, Mar. 15 at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.
“The team, coaches and athletic director Jamie [Hoffman] are excited about [the future of] the team,” Head Coach Rob Bartlett said. “It is definitely a good time to be involved in Oxy Track.”
The Distance Carnival featured multiple heats of the 800 meters, 1,500 meters, Steeplechase, 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters on Oxy’s home track.
Distance runner Grace Peck (sophomore) ran the 3,000 meter Steeplechase for the first time, which involves jumping five large wooden hurdles for every lap. Her time, 11:35.46 minutes, is only two seconds behind the school record, which she is expected to break at the next meet in two weeks.
Sam Huie (sophomore) competed in the long jump and triple jump and placed third and second, respectively.
Jon Wheeler (sophomore) ran a 2:00.58-minute 800 meter, sprinting past the runners in third and fourth place in the last 200 meters. This put him in second place for the Occidental race, but his time put him in first compared to the runners from Cal Lutheran and CMS.
Maddie Weissman (sophomore) placed first in the SCIACs with her 2:23.66-minute 800 meter race.
Victor Kali (sophomore), who ran in a different heat, ran almost the entire race on the heels of another runner, only to speed past him in the last 100 meters. Kali also ran the 1,500 meter in an impressive 4:15.79, placing him third at the SCIACs.
The Distance Carnival is unique because the race is open to competitors from running clubs, Olympic training teams as well as college track runners. This year, Oxy welcomed three female runners who are training for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Xing Huina, who won the 1,500 meter with 4:32.24, is the current world record holder for the 10,000 meter.
“It’s nice to see that she does the same warm-ups as we do,” Bartlett said. He added that she was probably jogging the 1,500. “It’s just part of her training,” he said.
Occidental’s field athletes helped run the event by working at the concession stands, timing runners and counting laps. “The team did an unbelievable job. We couldn’t have had this event without their help,” Bartlett said.
At the SCIACs, pole vaulter Kera Bartlett (junior), (no relation to Coach Bartlett), broke the school record with a height of 3.65 meters, or 12 feet. She is now ranked number two in the nation for Division III. Six of the top 10 scorers at last Saturday’s SCIACs were Occidental jumpers.
Catch Oxy’s next home track and field event on May 10 at 10 a.m., set to take place on Patterson Field.
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