While they found themselves up against competitors from a variety of different NCAA Divisions, the Judges performed with the utmost tenacity at the Brown Springtime Invitational held at Brown University this past Saturday.

The outdoor track and field squads went the distance, featuring five runners in the top 50 of each of the one-mile events.
Amelia Lundkvist '14 led the charge for the women, surging to a 12th-place finish in five minutes, 12.09 seconds. Victoria Sanford '14 finished a mere 24 one-hundreths of a second behind her teammate and training partner, securing 13th place in 5:12.33.

Maggie Hensel '16 and Nora Owens '16 continued to make an impact, finishing 35th and 45th, respectively. Hensel clocked in at 5:30.25, while Owens followed to finish in 5:41.31. Rachel Keller '16 also competed in the event, taking 51st in 5:49.32.

On the men's side, Alex Kramer '13 and Mik Kern '13 shifted gears from their patterns of comfort so far this season, running the mile for the first time since March 30.

The transition ultimately proved to be seamless, as any anxiety over their ability to perform at a longer distance was alleviated. Kramer scorched the four-lap race in 4:12.96, paving the way for a third place finish out of 58 competitors, some of which were from NCAA Division I schools such as Dartmouth College and the University of Rhode Island. Kern then secured fifth place in the field, running the distance in 4:14.21.

Kern noted that his success was due in large part to his dabbling in the 800-meter dash at a meet at the University of Massachusetts Lowell on April 6.

"The purpose of the race was to get comfortable at faster paces for later 1,500 [meter] races, especially championship races," he said. "With this effort, basically, we are right where we need to be."

And while both athletes posted impressive performances in their breaking of the 4:20 barrier, their performances weren't the only quality marks that the Judges put forth in that particular event.

Ed Colvin '14 contributed an impressive effort, pulling in at 23rd in a time of 4:25.07. Grady Ward '16 continued to display potential, finishing right behind Colvin in 4:25.07, while Jarret Harrigan '15 rounded out the Judges' effort in the event, finishing in 32nd place in 4:29.56.

However, the squads managed to make an impact in more areas than just the distance events.

Adam Berger '16 scored two top finishes in both the men's long jump and triple jump. After leaping 5.40 meters to place 13th in the long jump, he covered a distance of 12.33 meters in the triple jump-good for eighth overall.

The men also featured two top-50 runners in the 800-meter run. While Kramer and Kern secured top-10 finishes in this event last weekend at UMass Lowell, Michael Rosenbach '15 and Greg Bray '15 continued the trend of strong finishes in that event.

After Rosenbach finished in 2:01.74 for 37th-place, Bray followed right behind, placing in 41st in 2:02.81.

The two female seniors also continued to make strides in their final collegiate season. Kim Farrington '13 continued her leap to success with a seventh place finish in the triple jump, reaching 10.42 meters. The focus would then turn to the running events as, in the 400-meter dash, Casey McGown '13 bolted to the finish line in 1:00.74, which proved to be good for 17th in a field of 50 runners.

In addition, Kelsey Whitaker '16 competed well in the 800-meter run, racing out to a 22nd place finish in 2:20.42.

Kern noted that, as the Judges look to build upon their momentum at the Fitchburg State Invitational this Saturday, the squad is primed to make a large impact in their remaining competitions during this season.

"Everyone is just working on improving, staying healthy, qualifying for post-season meets and peaking at the right time," he said.