Competition Gets Underway at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday

Schedule of Events Qualifying Standards

HADLEY, Mass. – Connecticut College will serve as host for the 2009 NESCAC Track & Field Championships this Saturday at the Silfen Field complex in New London, Conn. Williams College has earned 14 of the last 16 men’s titles outright, sharing the 2007 crown with Tufts, while the Ephs’ women will be in search of their ninth consecutive title and 17th in championship history.

After tying Tufts for the 2007 men’s title - the only time in the 23-year history of the event that the crown has been shared - Williams came away with the 2008 championship by scoring 195 points, just 12 more than what the Jumbos could muster. The Ephs picked up valuable points in the short distance events, as senior Deividas Seferis (Klaipeda, Lithuania) won the 200 while placing second in the 100 as part of a one-two combination for Williams. Seferis also led the Ephs to the 400 title, as his team earned the top four finishes in the race. Among the challengers returning this weekend are seniors Phil Rotella (Louisville, Ky.) and Colin Fitzgerald (Scarborough, N.Y.) from Tufts. Rotella came in third in the 100 and finished the 200 in fourth, while Fitzgerald was sixth in the 100 and third in the 200.

Hamilton junior Peter Kosgei (Kapsabet, Kenya) returns this year looking to add to his legacy after his record-shattering performances in the 800 and 1500-meter events last April. Kosgei won the 3000-meter steeplechase during his first championship appearance in 2007. In the long-distance events, Tufts junior Jesse Faller (Burlington, Mass.) took the 5000-meter title over Connecticut College sophomore Shawn Mulcahy by five seconds, while the 10000-meter title will go to a new champion this weekend. Look for Wesleyan senior Jonah Blumstein (Scarsdale, N.Y.) along with juniors Daniel Murner (Crestwood, Ky.) of Amherst and Corey Watts (Madison, Wis.) of Williams to vie for their first conference title in the long-distance races. The steeplechase will be wide open as the top three finishers at last year’s NESCAC meet have all graduated. Camel senior Brian Murtagh (Rowley, Mass.) took the event as a rookie in 2006 before Kosgei’s win in 2007.

Tufts swept the top three spots in the men’s 110-meter hurdles at last year’s championship after sophomores Ikenna Acholonu (Shoreline, Wash.), Trevor Donadt (Northborough, Mass.) and Jared Engelking (Westborough, Mass.) placed one-two-three, respectively. Donadt claimed the 400-meter hurdles title over Williams junior Joseph Buck (Amherst, Mass.) by more than a full second.

Bates junior Rich McNeil (Lawrence, Mass.) looks to pick up where former teammate Noah Gauthier left off last year in the field events. McNeil, who claimed the discus title in 2008, was third in the shot put and second in the hammer behind Gauthier’s championship-winning performances. Wesleyan junior Mike Moody (Portland, Maine) eyes a second conference crown in the javelin throw (2007) after coming less than 10 centimeters shy of Bates sophomore Christopher Murtagh’s (Rowley, Mass.) toss a year ago. Connecticut College junior Alex Samma (Ougadougou, Burkina Faso) hopes to win his first NESCAC title in one of the jumping events. Samma was second in the high jump and fourth in the triple jump in 2008.

On the women’s side, Williams collected 160.5 points to claim the 2008 NESCAC championship, while Tufts (120) finished as the runner-up for the fifth time in the last six years by edging third place Middlebury by one-half of a point. In the short-distance events, Tufts junior Logan Crane (Portland, Maine) won the 100-meter dash for the first time last year after finishing third in the event as a rookie in 2007. Crane also is the top returner in the 200 after recording a second place showing, and in addition won the long jump. The 400-meter dash may be unpredictable, as the three top returning runners from the event all made their first championship appearance last April.

The middle-distance events at last year’s meet went to a pair of first year participants. Williams sophomore Sara Wild (Portland, Ore.) claimed the 800-meter title, while Colby sophomore Emma Linhard (Brunswick, Maine) came away as the winner in the 1500-meter event after placing fourth in the 800. Wild’s teammate, junior Olga Kondratjeva (Vilnius, Lithuania) finished in the top three in both events, taking second in the 1500 and third in the 800. Making her final championship appearance will be senior Elise Tropiano (Plainview, N.Y.) of Amherst. Tropiano won the 10000-meter title at Hamilton last April. Challengers in the long-distance races will include Williams senior Lauren Philbrook (Hopkinton, Mass.) after a third place performance in the 10000 a year ago.

Bates junior Izzy Alexander (Harvard, Mass.) will participate in her final NESCAC championship in search of another hurdles title. Alexander earned the 400-meter hurdles championship for the second time in her career last year (2006) while finishing fourth in the 100 hurdles behind winner Elise Johnson (Cleveland, Ohio) of Williams.

In the field events, Bates junior Vantiel Elizabeth Duncan (Topsham, Maine) heads into the weekend with the hopes of defending her shot put crown. Duncan is also the top returner in the hammer throw after a third place showing in 2008, and was fourth last year in the discus. Challengers will include Colby senior Brianna Kondrat (Eaton, N.H.). Kondrat was second in the discus, fifth in the hammer, and seventh in the shot put. The high jump and pole vault were dominated by first year performers, as Wesleyan sophomore Kathryn Kulowski (Bristol, Conn.) came away with the high jump title while Middlebury sophomore Nicole Dvorak (Essex, Vt.) edged the pole vault field.

The championship format, previously a two-day event, was changed to a one-day competition in 2003. Results will be available at the conclusion of the event online at www.nescac.com.