M. Track Sneaks by Yale, Women Cruise

After two important victories against Yale on Saturday, the Crimson track team must be considered a serious challenger for the Ivy Title.

Trailing the favored Bulldogs by four points going into the final race, the men's team won the 4X400-meter relay to win its meet by a point.

The women didn't leave any room for suspense. They took control of the meet early, cruising to a 91-54 victory.

The men's team remained close throughout the meet due to the team's depth, capturing points in unexpected second and third place.

"The score shows how important each performance is to the team," said sophomore Joe Ciollo, who won the 400 meter. "A lot of guys stepped up, and that put us over the top."

The men's team was led by the performance of co-captain Mark Clayman, who placed in five events including the shot put, discus, hammer throw and two running events.

"It's so impressive that he is able to spread himself over so many events," Ciollo said. "He showed again why he was the team's MVP last year."

Other standout performers for the men were senior Ian Carswell, who won both the 1500 meter and the 5000 meter runs, and junior Justin Nowell, who won the 800 meter run.

According to junior Joel Tetreault, Nowell's run was a typical because of the poor weather conditions.

"In the beginning the weather was horrid, really cold and windy, but Justin took the lead from the beginning and strung out the field right away," said Tetreault. "It was a pretty ballsy move in that weather."

The weather did not seem to have much of an effect on the women's team.

Of the 16 events contested, the women won 13 of them.

The 36-point margin of victory was surprising to the Crimson, who had expected a very close meet.

"Their team has improved from last year, and we thought that it would be a lot more competitive than it has been in the past," said freshman Kathryn Moynihan.

Standout performers on the women's side included juniors Margaret Angell and Sarah Lodewick.

A moment after cruising to victory in the 1500-meter run, Angell stepped back on the starting line for the 800 meter, the next race on the track. She won the race in 2:15, setting her personal best.

Lodewick won both the Long Jump and Triple Jump, and ran a leg on the 4X100-meter relay.

"Sarah's performance was incredible," Angell said. "She had to leave the long jump pit in the middle of her event to run the relay, and she still won both."

Despite their impressive showing, the team is still cautious about the championship invitationals at the end of the season.

"When you look at our teams, our individuals can compete with anyone in the league, but our small numbers hurt us in big meets," Angell said.

Both squads face Boston College at home next Sunday.