Chris Funch ‘11 and Steve Kiplagat ‘12 paced the men’s track & field team to a first place finish at the NYSCTC Championships.
On Feb. 25 and 26, the Newell Field House played host to the men’s and women’s New York State Collegiate Track Conference Indoor Championship (NYSCTC). The men won the championship with 154.5 total points and the women finished fourth with a total score of 106.5.
With a bitter taste in their mouths from losses to RPI in last year’s Liberty League Championship and NYSCTC championship, the men’s track and field team yearned for revenge against their weekend’s opponents. When asked about his team’s attitude following their championship win, A.J. Blaisdell ’13 responded, “We wanted to take back a title that we felt like should have been ours. We felt there was no better place to do it than on our own track.”
The Saints’ success stemmed from their superb strength on the track as the Saints scored
141.0 of their total 154.5 points on it.
Dan Ramsey ’11 was named the men’s Running Event Performer of the Meet after earning two victories and Chris Funch ’11 also pioneered two victories to help lead the Saints to its fourth NYSCTC championship.
The Saints dominated the mile event on Saturday as Funch finished first with a time of 4:18.87, followed by Josh LeBlanc ’12 in second, and Andrew Goodwin ’12 in third. The Saints domination in the mile event would carry over to the 800m event with Funch again winning in 1:57.63, followed by Steve Kiplagat ’12 in second and Michael Fox ’12 in third.
The event’s most outstanding performer Dan Ramsey, would prevail victorious on Friday’s 5000m event and the 3000m event as well, finishing in 8:34.90.
The women’s track and field team finished fourth in the NYSCTC championship as Ithaca engineered their way to the top having double the score of second place finisher, Rochester. The Saints tallied 106.5 total points and Wendy Pavlus ’11 continued to break St. Lawrence track records, as she set a new school record in the mile event with a time of 5:00.46.
Wendy Pavlus ‘11 helped the Saints to a fourth place finish.
Jacquelynn Lemme ’13 finished fourth and Sarah Emery finished in sixth-place in the mile event to help the Saints garner 14 points and an early third-place position.
Lisa Baron ’11 had the only other second-place finish for the women’s team as she threw the shot put 12.30 meters, qualifying herself for the ECAC competition.
Despite some great individual performances on both the men’s and women’s teams, every athlete played a critical role in the Saints earning first and fourth place finishes in the NYSCTC championship. It was a strong weekend for both teams and as Blaisdell stated, “Everyone had a part in the victory. Those who gave it their all and didn’t end up placing were on their feet the entire time cheering. It was the loudest I had heard a crowd in my track and field career.”
