NEW YORK – The Columbia women's track & field team dominated the sprints, jumps and hurdles events in day two of the 2011Ivy League Championships, finishing second overall, while breaking meet, all-time Ivy League records, and winning multiple individual Ivy League championships. Junior
Sharay Hale was named the Most Outstanding Performer of the Meet for the second year in a row. Columbia finished second overall as a team, with the highest point total in program history.
Columbia opened the day with a championship title in the triple jump. Sophomore
QueenDenise Okeke not only won her first individual Ivy League championship, she shattered the school record in the triple yet again. Earlier in the season, Okeke had set a new school record of 12.43m. Sunday, she broke that record on her first jump of the day, which was 12.52m. But on her second jump of the day, she went 12.77m, or 41'10.75”, demolishing not only her earlier record, but those that had come before her as well. First-year
Tara Richmond also did well in the event, as she finished fifth overall, with a best jump of 12.37m (40'7”).
Just a few minutes later, Columbia notched their second women's championship title of the day, as junior
Kyra Caldwell successfully defended her 60m hurdles title with ease. Caldwell won in 8.52 seconds, while first-year
Tayler Johnson, who qualified for the finals with the fastest time, came in fourth at 8.80 seconds.
Columbia also had an outstanding performance in the 400m dash. Junior
Sharay Hale and first-year
Miata Morlu went 1-2 in the event. Hale won with ease, distancing herself from the pack, finishing in 53.43 seconds, while Morlu came in just ahead of the group, in 55.15. Hale's time was the second fastest ever run in Indoor Heps history.
Another first-year had an strong showing for the Lions, as
Marvellous Iheukwumere finished third overall in the 60m dash but just a tenth of a second, at 7.64 seconds. Iheukwumere was also a part of Columbia domination just a few minutes later, in the 200m dash. Saturday saw Hale set a new all-time Ivy League record, and the Lion performance on Sunday didn't disappoint. Hale won the event in 23.81, while Iheuwumere finished second, in 24.34 seconds. Junior
Kyra Caldwell rounded out the top six, as she finished sixth in 24.73.
Columbia finished the day with two more outstanding performances. Junior
Monique Roberts won her second straight indoor Ivy League high jump championship, as she cleared 1.76m (5'9.25”). First-year
Tara Richmond finished third in the event, clearing 1.70m (5'7”).
And the day ended with a fantastic showing by the Columba women's 4x400m relay. Caldwell led off for the Lions, and got Columbia off to a strong start, distancing her squad from the field. Morlu and Ofoche continued the trend, widening the gap, and when the baton was handed to Hale for the anchor leg, it was official. Hale widened the distance to about 100 yards, and led the Lions to a win that was over six seconds faster than any other team. Columbia finished the event in 3:39.46, crushing a record by three seconds, which a Cornell team set in 2007.
That event marked the third in three events that Hale dominated on the weekend, and for her efforts, the coaches of the Ivy League voted her the Most Outstanding Female Performer of the Meet. It was the second time in as many years that Hale earned the honor.
Columbia finished the meet with 123 team points, to Princeton's 128. It tied for the highest finish in program history, and is the highest point total ever for a Columbia women's track & field team.
