Seven meet records fall as Heps pick up steam

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor 

NEW YORK -- On a day dominated by prelims, seven meet records fell at the Ivy League Indoor Championships at The Armory. 

The Heps conclude Sunday in front of a raucous crowd of alums, parents and athletes who annually make this meet an exceedingly spirited and entertaining show. 

Princeton pole vaulters Allison Harris and August Kiles broke two of the records. Harris dominated the women's competition, coming in with just one other vaulter left. Harris topped out at 13-7.50 (4.15m) and broke her own record from 2016. She was five centimeters short of her all-time Ivy record. Harris also qualified for Sunday's final in the 60-meter hurdles.

Kiles jumped 17-8.50 before missing three times at 17-11.50 (5.48m), a mark that would have helped his chances of advancing to the NCAA Championships in two weeks.

Rudy Winkler of Cornell, who became the first athlete to compete for the U.S. in the Olympic Games and come back to a Heps, broke Conor McCullough's meet record in the weight thow with 75-7.50  (23.05m). It was his third consecutive Heps title in the weight throw.

Harvard's Gabrielle Thomas ran 7.29 seconds in the 60-meter dash and 23.20 in the 200 to demolish meet records in the prelims. If she was holding anything back, she might go even faster Sunday. 

Freshman Cha'Mia Rothwell of Dartmouth won the long jump with 20-3 (6.17m) and also broke a meet record in the 60-meter hurdles at 8.37 seconds. She can take aim Sunday at the all-time Ivy record of 8.33 from 2000.

Henna Rustami of Columbia, a senior, outkicked freshman Judy Pendergast of Harvard to win the women's 3,000 meters. Rustami ran 9:34.66 to Pendergast's 9:35.03.

In the men's 3,000 meters, James Randon and Yale teammate Andre Ivankovic went 1-2 for 18 big points. Randon became the first Yale runner to win the 3,000 since 1990, clocking 8:04.87.

Ivankovic fought off a late challenge from Penn's Nick Tuck to take second in 8:10.70.  

Calvary Rogers of Penn ran 21.54 in the prelims of the 200 to break a meet record. It's just the third time the 200 meters has been contested at the Heps.

Julia Ratcliffe of Princeton, who just missed making the New Zealand Olympic squad in the hammer throw last year, won a strong women's weight throw competition with 67-1.25 (20.45m). It took a throw of more than 58 feet just to score. 

Harvard freshman Anthony DeNitto won the men's long jump with 24-2.25 (7.37m).

Freshman Zoe Hughes of Harvard won the pentathlon with 4,093 points. She posted the top performance in four of the five events. That result moved her to No. 11 in the country this season.

Austin Jamerson from Cornell leads the men's heptathlon. 

Princeton and Cornell are tied atop the team standings after Day One with 28 points apiece. Those two schools have combined to win the last 19 Heps titles.

Harvard leads Princeton 40-39 on the women's side.