Men’s 4x800 gunning for Championship of America title at Penn Relays

This weekend, Columbia track and field will take part in its most important meet of the season yet: the Penn Relays Carnival. Held at the University of Pennsylvania’s legendary Franklin Field, the meet will span Thursday through Saturday and will feature competition at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels. Representatives from all conferences of NCAA Division 1 will make the trip for one of the largest and most exciting meets not only in the Northeast, but in the entire country.

“Penn is an extremely important meet in terms of relays,” head coach Willy Wood said. “I think it is considered the relays national championships. Huge bragging rights are at stake.”

Columbia has experienced major success at the event in recent years, most notably capturing the men’s 4x800 Championship of America title in 2007. That was the first time an Ivy had won a Championship of America event since 1974 and the first time for Columbia since 1937. This year offers comparable promise.

“After we won in 2007 and experienced what it was like to take a victory lap in Franklin Field, it is something that our runners want again badly,” said Wood.

Juniors Jeff Moriarty and Matt Stewart, sophomore Kyle Merber, and senior Mike Mark will make up the effort. Moriarty has been on a tear this outdoor season, setting personal bests at 800m and 1500m equaling 1:48.21 and 3:45.76, respectively. The former currently ranks No. 5 in the NCAA, making Moriarty as much a threat as any on the anchor leg. Merber is more of a 1500m specialist and hasn’t raced at the half mile outdoors this season. But his personal best from last spring stands at 1:53.75 and, more impressive, he was able to cut the mile in 3:58.52 this winter indoors. Mark possesses the most experience wearing light blue and is the only returner from the 2007 championship squad, in which, as a freshman, he ran the opening leg and handed off the baton in third. He’s run 1:50.32 this spring, and has been an emblem of consistency over his career, clocking under 1:51 every season outdoors. Stewart had a breakout season last spring, posting 1:51.52, and has run 1:52.57 this season.

“Kyle looks great and is ready to go,” Wood stated. “Jeff has never been this fit in his life. We feel if we can get him the baton close in the 4x800m that we have a legitimate shot to win.”

A second notable event will be the men’s distance medley relay, which will include three members of the 4x800: Moriarty, Merber, and Mark. They’ll be joined by sophomore Justin Holloman on the 400m leg, who boasts a best of 49.31. Moriarty will run the 1200m opening leg, Mark the penultimate 800m, and Merber the anchor 1600m. The group will surely threaten Columbia’s school record 9:50.15, and their chances beyond that are promising. Moriarty can run with the best over three laps, and if Merber is anywhere near the lead when he gets the baton, there’s no counting him out.

The women’s 4x400m is a youthful group, entirely made up of underclassmen—sophomores Sharay Hale and Kyra Caldwell, and freshmen Yamira Bell and Uju Ofoche. But they are prodigious talents. With a current best and school record 3:42.69 to their name, and No. 65 ranking in the NCAA, they’re not quite at the level of the men’s 4x800m or DMR, but no doubt they eventually will be. Their race will be an exciting run, as it will showcase the group on the biggest venue they’ve competed on up to this point—one for which they’re sure to return as considerable threats in coming years. Hale is the consummate star, having run the fastest 400m for a freshman—52.64—last spring. She is clearly in good form, as she set a personal best and school record 52.61 at Auburn last week. The competition she’ll face over the anchor leg will provide her with invaluable experience and will be a great dry run for this year’s NCAAs.

“Sharay is currently the fifth fastest 400m runner in the NCAA,” said Wood. “She will dramatically impact our placing in both the 4x400m and the DMR.”

The women’s middle and long distance talent will come together for the 4x1500m. Juniors Jackie Drouin and Erin Hays will lead the group, which also includes senior Serita Lachesis and freshman Caroline McDonough. Drouin currently tops the Ivy League with her 4:23.46 best set at UNC on April 10, and Hays, Lachesis, and McDonough are situated at fifth, eighth, and ninth, in 4:27.12, 4:28.37, and 4:28.94, respectively.

Apart from the relay events, a slew of men and women will compete in the open 5k, with senior Bobby Hartnett returning to the race at which he set his personal best 14:09.34 last year. Hartnett posted a personal best 3:48.50 1500m this season and is primed to bring his 5000m mark to under 14 minutes.

Competition gets underway with the college women’s 400m hurdles Thursday at 10:00 a.m. and will conclude Saturday night with the college men’s 4x400m Championship of America at 6:00 p.m.