Indian Track dominant at Penn

By Benjamin Wallace-Wells | Wednesday, May 7, 1997

The men's and women's track teams enjoyed a pair of fabulously successful meets at the Penn Relays and the Dartmouth Invitational this weekend. The success achieved at those two meets positions Datrmouth well for next week's Heptagonal Championships, the season's culminating event.

The Penn Relays is the nation's most well-known and prestigious collegiate track and field event, and only those select atheletes who have met provisional qualifying standards are invited. With the exception of the NCAA championships, the Relays draw the strongest field of any competition of the season.

Without question, the weekend's star was decathlete Greg Johnston '99. Johnston finished third in the decathlon in the Collegiate Division at the Penn Relays. Johnston's point total not only set the Dartmouth record for the decathlon, but also qualified him for the NCAA championships. Johnston led all decathletes with a hurdle time of 14.66 seconds.

Also impressive for the Indians was hammer thrower Alex Ghanotakis '97, who placed fifth in that event. The throwing team, although hampered by academic suspensions, has been the strongest part of the track team throughout the year.

Steve Clark '97 earned seventh place in the high jump, and Lane Burks '97 earned fifth place in the long jump despite an injury. Women's distance runner Jenna Rogers '98 finished third in the 5000 meters.

Those atheletes that did not qualify for the Penn Relays competed in the Dartmouth Invitational. This was a younger team, and Dartmouth's dominant win was sparked by outstanding performances from several promising freshmen. Ray Long '00 (long jump), Justin Hamill '00 (javelin), Adam Horst '00 (hurdles), Mike Regan '00 (5000 meters), Geoff Nickerson '00 (steeplechase), and Margie Van Orden '00 (800 meters) all won their events.

Men's Volleyball

The men's volleyball team, not even accorded varsity status at Dartmouth, placed third in the Division II national championships last week in Tucson, Arizona, with their only loss coming to the tournament's eventual champions, the Duke Blue Devils. The result means that the Indians will be accorded full Divison I status next season.

With no coach and only the funding that they themselves can raise, the Indians have had a surprisingly spectacular season. Before traveling to Tucson, Dartmouth competed in the New Engand and Ivy League Championships, tournaments with both varsity and club competitors.

The Indians reached the semifinals of the New England Chamionships before falling in a close match to their arch-rivals, the University of New Hampshire. The very next day, the Indians traveled to Providence for the Ivy League Chamionships, where they once again reached the semifinals before losing to the Princeton Tigers, a perennial national power and a varsity team, in yet another hard-fought contest. The Indians also had a spectacular run at the national championship, going undefeated for the first two days of the tournament before falling to Duke in a tough three-game match. The tournament was not without its benefits for the Indians; not only was Dartmouth promoted to Division I, but its two captains earned citations for their play. Mark Shuster '99 was named the tournament's MVP, and Colin Gorman '97 was named to the All-Tournament Second Team.

Perhaps the success achieved by the Indians will convince the athletic department to extend necessary funding to the volleyball program, thus allowing the team to flourish in future seasons.

Indian Track dominant at Penn

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