Columbia
Mets Championships
Track & Field Posts Impressive Results at Three Meets
2/6/2016 7:35:00 PM | Track and Field
Mets Results | Armory Invite Results | Villanova Invitational Results
NEW YORK - Three different indoor track & field meets in the New York City area saw Columbia post some impressive results this weekend. The Lions took part in the NYC Metropolitan Championships and the Villanova Invitational, which were both at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island, as well as the NYC Armory Invitational.
Metropolitan Championships
The men's team saw two runner-up finishes at the Mets Championships. Tal Braude claimed second in the 3K run, clocking a personal best 8:33.73. The men also put together a strong effort in the distance medley relay, taking second to Fordham in 10:15.65.
Armory Invitational
At the Armory Invitational, the men continued to find success, led by Johnathan Sowah in the 500m run. The junior edged South Carolina's Otis Jones for the win, crossing the line in 1:04.26, just .04 ahead of Jones. Corey Hammond and Ronald Busby weren't far behind Sowah's personal-best in the event, as Hammond claimed seventh in 1:05.37 and Busby took eighth in 1:06.30.
Max Norris was also able to put forth a career-best effort at the event, when he took fifth in the 3K run at 8:29.78. The men also had a strong run in the distance medley, taking third in 9:57.21 behind Ryan Thomas, Sowah, Josiah Langstaff, and Tait Rutherford.
The women's team had a nice start on Friday, with Pegah Khosravi-Kamrani and Leila Mantilla in the 3K run. Khosravi-Kamrani clocked a personal-best in the 3K when she finished fifth in 9:45.31, with Mantilla close behind in seventh at 9:46.18.
In the 500m run, Brittany Wade led the way with a fourth place finish in 1:15.94, while Mariella McCormack finished with a career-best 1:16.82 for eighth.
Villanova Invitational
The women had continued success in the distance races at the Villanova Invitational, especially in the 1 Mile Run. Senior Olivia Sadler was a third place finisher in the event at 4:43.58, with first-year Libby Kokes on her hells in fourth at 4:43.98. The run by Kokes gave her the top time in the NCAA this season among freshmen in the Mile.
Dustin Wilson represented the men's team well in the 1 Mile himself, taking fifth place in a career-best 4:07.18. In the 800m run, Langstaff looked like the next great Columbia half-miler, when the first-year went 1:51.82 for fifth.
Brian Zabilski Qualifies for PanAm Championships
While most of the Columbia runners were participating on the indoor track & field surface, first-year Brian Zabilski took part in the USA Junior Cross Country Championships in Bend, Oregon. With a fifth place finish overall in the 8K, Zabilski qualified to be part of Team USA at the PanAmerican Cross Country Championships, which will take place in March.
Players Mentioned
