Alex Kramer '13 and Mik Kern '13 looked to make a statement in their final season with the Judges' outdoor track and field squad.

In their first meet of the season on March 30, the pair secured first- and third-place finishes in the 1,500-meter event at the Tufts University Snowflake Classic.

The duo picked up right where they left off that day, surging to yet another pair of top-10 finishes at the George Davis Invitational last Saturday at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. This time, it was in the 800-meter dash.

Kern finished in sixth with a time of one minute, 57.60 seconds, while Kramer trailed right behind him, securing eighth in 1:58.53.

For Kramer, though, this race proved to be especially valuable.

"I hadn't really run an 800 since high school, so it was a new experience," he said. "I was hoping to work on my speed in order to run faster in the 1,500 over the next few weeks."

The pair of impressive results set the stage for several strong finishes on the track, particularly vital for future meets such as the University Athletic Association Outdoor Championships to be held later this month.

"Running races that are either shorter or longer are useful to prepare for meets that we focus on like UAA's," he said. "Everyone who competed ran well despite the difficult circumstances: cold and wind."

Vincent Asante '14 raced out to third in the 100-meter dash, crossing the line in 11.48 seconds. He also ran the first leg of the four-by-100-meter relay, setting the foundation for another third-place finish. Asante, Josh Hacunda '16, Kensai Hughes '14 and Galen Karlan-Mason '16 combined to finish in 44.64 seconds.

In the 1,500-meter run, Michael Rosenbach '15 kept pace at the front of the pack, finishing in 13th with a time of 4:16.09. Grady Ward '16 also turned in a strong result, racing to 19th in 4:20.34.

Adam Berger '16 maintained the trend of top-10 finishes, placing ninth in the triple jump with a distance of 12.39 meters. Kris Stinehart '14 launched the shot-put 11.48 meters to finish 12th.

The women made an equally resounding statement, earning a series of notable results in their races. Particularly, in the 800-meter run, three Judges finished within three seconds of each other to place in the top 20. Kelsey Whitaker '16 cracked the top 10 in 2:21.58. Victoria Sanford and Amelia Lundkvist then emerged right behind to finish in 2:23.07 and 2:24.86, respectively.

Yet, it was the trio of first-years that made some noise in the 1,500-meter event, securing top 30 finishes. Maggie Hensel '16 finished 12th, clocking in at 5:06.27. Rachel Keller '16 and Nora Owens '16 were only seconds behind, finishing in 5:22.56 and 5:37.64, respectively.

The lone senior, Casey McGown '13, also impressed at UMass Lowell, outpacing the competition in the 400-meter dash to finish in 1:02.66, good for 11th overall.

Alyssa Fenenbock '15 tossed the javelin 29.20 meters to finish 14th, and Emma Taylor '15 and Ashley Klein '16 fell just short of Fenenbock's total, coming in 16th and 17th, respectively, with distances of 27.85 and 25.59 meters.

From here, Kramer noted how each of the squads is rigorously preparing for championship season, and with it, an opportunity to move ahead of the pack of other competing UAA squads.

"Everyone is working towards the championship season, which begins in three weeks at the UAA championships," he said. "Our training and racing all year has been geared towards running well there and in the major meets after ... basically to run at our best when it counts."

The squads will look to make the Dartmouth College Quad Meet count this upcoming Saturday.