Lions Head To Staten Island For A Pair Of Weekend Meets

Friday, January 31

Staten Island, N.Y.

2:00 p.m.

Columbia

Mets Championships

Photo by: Columbia University Athletics/Mike McLaughlin

Lions Head To Staten Island For A Pair Of Weekend Meets

1/30/2020 10:11:00 AM | Track and Field

Live Stats (Mets)Live Stats (Nova)

Columbia Track & Field will take part in the Mets Championships and the Villanova Invite over the weekend at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – With a successful Dr. Sander Invitational Columbia Challenge in the back pocket, Columbia Track & Field returns to action with a pair of meets at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island, New York, starting with the Metropolitan Championships on Friday, Jan. 31 (2 p.m.) and concluding with the Villanova Invitational on Saturday, Feb. 1 (4 p.m.).

HOW TO FOLLOW
Metropolitan Championships (Jan. 31): Live Stats | Twitter (@ColumbiaXCTF)
Villanova Invitational (Feb. 1): Live Stats | Twitter (@ColumbiaXCTF)

HATCHER JUMPS WITH THE BEST: During the Dr. Sander Invite, sophomore Kali Hatcher, on her final jump in the triple jump, leaped to a new personal record mark of 42-6.75/12.97m to take the title in that event by a large margin. What made the mark impressive was the fact that it was, and still is, the 15th best mark set in the country this season, placing Hatcher in position to head to the NCAA Indoor National Championships on Mar. 13 in Albuquerque, N.M.

PIHLKAR CHASING A TITLE: At the Dartmouth-Yale-Columbia tri-meet on Jan. 18, junior Jack Pihlkar tossed a PR mark of 61-10.25/18.85m to take first in the weight throw. What made the toss impressive was that at the time, it was the 54th best performance in the country and best performance in the Ivy League.

The mark was surpassed by Michael Coppolino shortly after Pihlkar's toss on Jan. 18, but at the Dr. Sander Invite, Pihlkar and Coppolino faced off with each other, and Pihlkar showed that it is a two-horse race at the top of the league in the weight throw. Pihlkar barley missed his PR mark, throwing a distance of 61-9.50/18.83m, to finish third, but his mark bested Coppollion's fourth-place mark, setting the tone for the remainder of the season as things begin to build towards the Ivy League Indoor Track & Field Heps on Feb. 29 in Ithaca, New York.

IGBOKWE LEAPS TO A WIN: Not to be outdone by Hatcher, senior Daniel Igbokwe earned himself a win in the triple jump at the Dr. Sander Invite, leaping 50-10.25/15.50m in his final jump to take the title. Igbokwe needed that mark to push past the competition, as he entered his final jump in second place, but knowing what needed to be done the school record holder went out and got the win for the Lions.

COLUMBIA PARTICIPANTS

METROPOLITAN CHAMPIONSHIPS (JAN. 31)
Staten Island, New York (Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex)

Women's Track Events:
60-Meter Dash: Tessa Green (Fr.); Rachel Marsh (Fr.)
200-Meter Dash: Marsh
500-Meter Dash: Brianna Hodges (So.); Peyton Jones (So.); Alexis Knight (Fr.); Iman Sule (Sr.)
1,000-Meter Run: Clio Dakolias (Fr.); Cassidy Williams (Fr.)
3,000-Meter Run: Grace Custer (Fr.); Linnaea Kavulich (So.)
4x400-Meter Relay: (A) Knight, Green, Hodges, Jones, Betty Jackson (Jr.), Sule

Women's Field Events:
High Jump: Tiffany Bautista (Fr.)
Long Jump: Casidy Cunningham (So.)
Shot Put: Cameron Downey (Jr.); Hailey Montgomery (So.)
Weight Throw: Downey; Kayla-Rae Gordon (Fr.); Gia Monachino (Jr.); Montgomery

Men's Track Events:
60-Meter Dash: Chris Balthazar (Fr.); Karibi Hart (So.); Brodie Holmes (So.); Dante Miller (So.)
60-Meter Hurdles: Moe Abusway (Fr.)
200-Meter Dash: Balthazar; Hart; Jahi Hernandez (Fr.); Holmes
400-Meter Dash: James Chung (Fr.)
500-Meter Dash: Vasilis Kopanas (Sr.); Gio Trejos (Jr.); Jemal Vaunado II (Jr.)
1,000-Meter Run: Ian Irish (So.); Juan Lasso (Fr.)
3,000-Meter Run: Dominic Dyer (Jr.)
4x400-Meter Relay: (A) Balthazar, Holmes, Hernandez, Kopanas, Trejos, Chung, Hart, Vaunado

Men's Field Events:
High Jump: Luke Ciarelli (So.); Ernest Robertson (So.)
Shot Put: Hunter Hasley (Sr.); Noah Johnson (Jr.); Matt Lange (Fr.)
Weight Throw: Hasley; Johnson; Lange; Jack Pihlkar (Jr.)

VILLANOVA INVITATIONAL (FEB. 1)
Staten Island, New York (Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex)

Women's Track Events:
60-Meter Dash: Green; Marsh
200-Meter Dash: Knight; Jones; Sule
400-Meter Dash: Hodges; Jackson
1,000-Meter Run: Bianca Alonzo (Sr.)

Men's Track Events:
60-Meter Dash: Hernandez; Holmes; Balthazar; Miller
60-Meter Hurdles: Abusway
200-Meter Dash: Chung
400-Meter Dash: Kopanas; Trejos; Vaunado
800-Meter Dash: Jacob Caswell (Sr.)

FOLLOWING THE LIONS: Stay up to date on all things Columbia Track & Field by following the Lions on Twitter (@ColumbiaXCTF), Instagram (@columbiaxctf) and on Facebook (@ColumbiaAthletics).