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Volume CXXXIII, Number 17 |
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Six runners qualify for nationals at New Englands
BEN PEISCH
STAFF WRITER
After receiving the results from the New England Championships, the NCAA signed a large check and mailed it to Bowdoin to finance the plane tickets and living accommodations for six outstanding male track athletes to compete in the Division III National Championships at Wisconsin-Whitewater on March 13.
James Wilkins '04 was the first athlete to qualify with his performance in the high jump. Wilkins nailed his qualifying attempt in the first meet of the season at the Brandeis Invitational and has been honing his technique for the big dance ever since.
Wilkins placed second among New England athletes of all divisions on Friday night with a leap of 6'7." While the result was not Wilkins' best, his attempts at greater heights were achingly close, and the highly decorated jumper is prepared to jump his best at the national finals.
Andrew Combs '06 was the second Bowdoin athlete to qualify for nationals with his performance in the mile run on Saturday night. After qualifying for the finals with a 4:14 mile in the preliminary heats, Combs toed the line as one of the ten best milers in the region.
Undaunted, Combs fought his way through the pack for four laps before breaking free and doggedly chasing down the leaders. Each lap of eight that he ran was faster than the ones before it.
Combs closed the race with a blistering final lap and crossed the line in fifth place overall with a time of 4:10.12, the automatic qualifier for nationals. Combs is gaining confidence and momentum with each race and promises to compete for the individual title.
Wilkins and Combs will be joined in Wisconsin by their teammates in the 4x400-meter relay. For three years, the same four men-Brian Laurits '04, Greg Bangser '04, Greydon Foil '05, and Phil Webster '04-have been within hundredths of a second from making it to nationals, and despite their dominance in New England, they had never, up to this point, made it to nationals. That all changed on Saturday when the men combined to rise above the odds and shattered the school record.
Captain Laurits made a clinic of the opening leg, showing his experience in fighting for position and accelerating off the turns. Bangser ran a blistering 48-second split for the second leg, and Foil, as always, gained position and brought the baton to the front of the pack for Webster. Webster went screaming off the line, and was fighting for the lead when he was shoved from behind, sending him stumbling across the line.
Unfortunately for the cheap-shot-loving loser that shoved him, even dirty tactics could not slow down the men in black. Their finishing time was 3:16.86, and it placed the men fourth in the country. Each runner averaged roughly a 49 second quarter mile, even with the shove at the end.
These six men will be preparing for nationals as we all cram for midterms and scribble out our papers, and based on the way they have competed this season, all of them figure to compete extremely well. Coveted All-American plaques are on the line, and each of these men has the ability to celebrate spring break by bringing one home.
The ECAC meet will be held at Bowdoin College. The Bears will run a handful of relays, and the group of national qualifiers will use the meet as a tune-up for Wisconsin. The meet will be attended by teams from New England as well as New York and Pennsylvania, and the competition will be exciting as many athletes will be scrambling for last-second qualifying marks for nationals.
This will be the final opportunity to see seniors Wilkins, Laurits, Bangser, Webster, Steve Franklin, Chris Wagner, and Jordan Harrison compete on their home track, so come out and support these remarkable young men.
Greg Bangser '04 takes to the track while Brian Laurits '04 jumps off after handing off the baton during the 4x400-meter relay. The squad finished in 3:16:86 and placed fourth in the country.
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