Photo by Hoitt Mcalister
As is the case with most sports in our athletic conference, NESCAC men’s track and field is consistently one of the most competitive leagues in the country. Year after year NESCAC track and field boasts not only some of the nations best individual competitors, but some of the best combined teams as well. While the men’s team from Williams has recently dominated the conference championships, capturing fifteen of the last seventeen titles, each individual competition at the meet can have competitive athletes from any of the eleven schools participating.
This past weekend the Camel men traveled to Wesleyan to compete in the 2011 NESCAC outdoor track and field championship. Lead by an impressive pack of distance runners the team came in ninth place, its best finish in the NESCAC in the past ten years.
In the 3,000 meter steeple chase freshmen Mike LeDuc, coming off a strong all NESCAC performance this past cross country season, put up the third best time in the conference, coming in at 9:24.40. LeDuc’s time, which earned the team six points, was less than a second shy of a provisional qualifying time for the NCAA national championship meet. Additionally, sophomore Tim Murtagh ran a 9:38.00 good enough for sixth place at the meet and three points for the Camels.
Senior Shawn Mulcachy, who has already earned a provisional qualifying time for the NCAA championship in the 10,000-meter, fell just short of earning points in the 5,000-meter event. Mulcachy came in at 15:27.88, number thirteen at the meet. “Shawn is arguably our most talented runner but has unfortunately been plagued with injuries throughout his career at Conn. He was second in the 5,000 meter at NESCACs as freshman”, commented teammate Tim Murtagh. “He will look to have a strong showing in the 10k at the New England D3 meet”.
Leading the Camels in the 10,000-meter race was Doug Wright. The junior captain earned three points for his team placing sixth with a time of 32:08.39. Shortly behind Wright was junior Colin Gallant who came in thirteenth with a personal record of 33:08.16.
For middle distance races, sophomore Andrew Duarte captured a point for the Camels in the 1,500-meter. Duarte tied his personal best with a 4:00.36 putting him at eigth overall.
Perhaps the weekend’s best Camel was sophomore Brian Gooch who competed in the 100-meter dash. Gooch came into the meet outside of the top ten however his personal record time of 11.36 was good enough for fourth place and five points for his team.
Senior captain Tommy Howd followed suite with the runners by earning a point in the high jump. Howd put up a height of 1.81 meters finishing tied for 8th in the conference. Howd, along with LeDuc, Duarte, and sophomore Tristan Cole, also scored three points for the Camels in the distance medley relay. The group of runners posted a combined time of 10:25.18, a school record.
Combined the Camels came away with 25 points, a better total score than eight of the last ten NESCAC championship meets. The team will look to build upon their success at NESCACs this weekend at MIT for the New England Division III championships. •
oh see