Pomona-Pitzer Track and Field Battles Oxy Down the Stretch at Quad Meet
By Tamara Zakim
Sports Editor

A strong all-around performance by the Pomona-Pitzer women's track team garnered a three-win sweep of Whittier, Cal Lutheran and host Occidental at the SCIAC Quad Meet last Saturday. Uncertainties about the outcome of the Sagehen matchup against Oxy dissolved into the satisfaction of a sound 109-89 win. Pomona-Pitzer also tallied a 113-87 win over Cal Lutheran, and a 125-55 trouncing of Whittier. Especially dominant productions by Gre'Juana Dennis '03 and Kristina Bajema '06 were instrumental in their team's success, and an improved 5-2 record places the Hens in third as SCIAC championships approach in two weeks.

Dennis proved to be the major point carrier for the Sagehens by winning all four of her events this weekend. She clocked a 13.02 in the 100 meter dash and leaped 17'06.75 in the long jump, earning her first place finishes. With more than beginner's luck, Dennis also found success in her first 200 meter dash and triple jump ever, reigning in two more first place finishes with a time of 27.03 in the 200 and a 17'06.75 mark in the long jump. Dennis's triple jump result landed in the Pomona-Pitzer record books as the school's sixth best all-time finish.

Bajema also secured a large portion of points for Pomona-Pitzer with impressive results in five individual events. On the track, she clinched first place in the 100 meter high hurdles with a time of 16.67, and grabbed fourth in the 200 meter dash with a time of 28 even. On the field, Bajema earned second place by throwing 32'06.50 in the shot put and third place with a 97'02.00 mark in the javelin. A 4'07.75 finish in the high jump also snagged her second place. By combining the results of her events over two days, Bajema scored a total of 4155 points for her separate heptathlon event, which meets the provisional qualifying standard for Nationals in St. Lawrence, New York.

Also by boosting the Sagehen effort was Ann Prouty '05, who ran a speedy 4:50.79 in the 1500 for first place, and was second to cross the line in the 800 meter run with a time of 2:26.23. Contributing with additional top times was Izzy Smith '05. Smith finished first in the 400 meter hurdles with a 1:07.99, and Kenisha Dilliard '05 grabbed second in the same event with a time of 1:10.51. Smith also grabbed third place in the 400 m dash with a time of 1:02.52. Amy Rapp '06 contributed a first place finish in the 5000, clocking 19:22.06, and Raketa Ouedraogo '05 seized second place in the hammer throw with a 130'02 mark.

The Sagehens managed to pull out three key wins despite the season-terminating stress fractures of last year's National qualifiers Laura Bishop '03 and Stepf McDougall '05. With SCIAC Tournament competition scheduled for the weekend of April 26, the team has its sight set on a possible second place overall finish. La Verne and Claremont currently hold first and second place in the league, and despite an 84-59 loss to the Athenas earlier in the season, Pomona-Pitzer hopes to aggressively challenge CMS at the Championships. "We basically have two goals," commented Coach Kirk Reynolds on the upcoming tournament. "We want to stay ahead of Oxy, and we want to try and see how close we can get to Claremont." Reynolds acknowledged his delight with last weekend's victories. His conservative pre-meet prediction had Occidental winning by a handful of points but the plus points tallied by his team, coupled with the loss of Oxy's star sprinter to injury, handed the Hens a solid win. "It's always fun when you go into it, knowing you have a chance if you do these certain things right," said Reynolds. "The thrill is in not knowing ahead of time, but having a plan and seeing who wins at the end of the meet."

The men's track and field team also had easy wins over Whittier and Cal Lutheran at the Quad Meet last Saturday while suffering a tough loss to the Tigers. Final scores were 119 - 77 over Cal Lu, 118 - 82 over Whittier and 101 - 96, in Oxy's favor. The loss to the Tigers ultimately came down to the 1600 meter relay. "The mile relay was what made the difference - we had speed in two lanes but Occidental was significantly better," remarked Coach Pat Mulcahy.

Relay aside, the performances of several Hens allowed them to challenge Occidental to the end, and elevated the team over the Poets and the Lancers. In the 100 meter dash, Michael Kirtman '03 clocked a 11.88, and Joseph Cappola '05 followed right on his tail with a 11.89 to earn third and fourth places, respectively. The Kirtman-Cappola duo took second and third in the 110 meter high hurdles with times of 12 and 13 seconds; Cappola also finished first with 57.22 in the 400 meter hurdles and Kirtman grabbed second in the same event with 59.76.

David Buxton '06 placed third in the 400 meter dash with a time of 50.90 and Richard Cannon '05 clinched third with a 2:02.58 in the 800 meter run. Chris DuBois '06 ran a personal best of 4:06.12 for second place in the 1500 and David Maas '06 crossed the line behind him only seconds later with a 4:13.81 finish for third. Golden Krishna '05 earned third in the 5000 with a 16:21.34, and Braden Boice '05 and Dan Shickich '05 seized second and third places, respectively, in the 3000 Steeplechase with finishing times of 10:42.92 and 11:22.50. Tycen Burdhaard '06 placed second with a college personal best 6'06.00 in the high jump, and Mark Melief '05 followed suit with a third place 6'04.00 high jump leap. Melief also tied his pole vault PR with second place 12'06.00 jump, while Alex Head came in third in the javelin with a 171'01.00 throw. Matthew Zay '04 finished second in the triple jump with a mark of 43'07.25.

The men's team has also experienced injury setbacks, most noticeable in the absence of number one distance runner Crosby Freedman '06, who is out for the remainder of the season with a broken leg. Nevertheless, the team is cautiously optimistic about the upcoming SCIAC championships. "We earned 27 points last year at SCIACs," said Mulcahy, "and even though we have a really young team, we're hoping to get more points this time around." Pomona-Pitzer is currently ranked fourth in the conference with a 4-3 record.

Both men's and women's teams will send runners to the California-Nevada Invitational this weekend, and will play host at the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational next weekend. Although all SCIAC teams will be present at the P-P Invite, results will not count towards league standings. Instead, the meet is a chance for runners to secure National qualifying times and marks, and to prepare for the SCIAC Championship Tournament.