In track, athletes perform their training in cycles, sacrificing strong times for hard workouts, ultimately hoping to peak late in the season during the team’s most important meets. For the Red, the Heptagonal’s, ECAC and NCAA championships will be the definitive meets of the 2009-10 season. Judging by the Red’s performance at the two-day Bucknell Bison Outdoor Classic, Cornell’s track programs are well on their way to outstanding performances in the post season. Despite racing on weary legs after several weeks of hard workouts, both the women’s and men’s teams looked strong at Bucknell, picking up many individual and relay first-place finishes. Ain’t no hurdle high enough: Senior Jessica Weyman almost broke the 1:00 minute mark in hurdles, finishing in 1:00.2. - By: Tina Chou

For the women’s team, sophomore Melissa Hewitt, who has led the Red in the 100m dash all season, continued her strong running from the Titan Twilight with a first place win in 11.86 seconds. Senior Kate Backel was strong in the sprints as well, finishing second in the 200m dash. For the hurdle squad, senior Jessica Weyman earned points for Cornell, almost breaking the 1:00 minute mark with a 1:00.2. The Red also collected victories in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays.  

In mid distance, junior Kim Standridge highlighted the Cornell women’s squad with a 4:33.51 1500m dash. While Standridge’s time was slightly slower than the 4:28 she posted earlier in the season, her time was still good for first place. Senior Erin Roberts also finished first in the 3000m steeple chase in 10:40.4. Senior Natalie Gengel continued to excel in pole vault with a 12-5.5 mark. Gengel has already met the ECAC championship-qualifying standard.  

The men’s team also posted victories in numerous events. Freshman sprinter Bruno Hortelano-Roig shined for the Red, running an outstanding 21.70 to win the 200m dash. Hortelano-Roig also helped guide the 4x100 team to victory as the anchor leg.  

Junior Nate Edelman, who led Cornell’s cross country campaign this fall, finished first in the longest event of the day: the 10,000m run. Edelman posted a 30:01.24, good for first place and approximately a 4:49 mile pace for the 6.2 miles. In the field events, senior Scott Jaffee contributed to the Red’s point total as well, throwing the discus a whopping 168-07. 

With a win in the 4x100m relay, the men’s team, like the women’s team, continued its strong showing in the sprints. The Red also narrowly missed out on a victory in the 4x400m, falling to Binghampton. The Bearcats’ margin of victory was only .33 seconds, as the Red’s final time was 3:12.91.  

While Cornell posted strong results, some of the team was noticeably absent from competition, including senior captain Duane Teixera, who has led the Red throughout the outdoor season in jumps. Also absent was sophomore 400m runner Nick Huber, who has been recovering from an indoor hamstring pull slowly this season.   

“Nick seems to be back. I’m not sure if he’s a hundred percent, though. We have to make sure we keep doing the right things with him so there isn’t a chance of relapse. We’d hate to lose anybody [due to] injuries,” said men’s head coach Nathan Taylor.  

The Red’s next competition will be at UPenn for the women’s team and at SUNY Cortland for their male counterparts on April 17.