Preview by Gerry Groothuis. Photos by Dan Grossman.
Contrasted to an array of League-leading performances on the women’s side, the men’s team has taken a more composed journey through this indoor season … The quiet before the storm, however, is about to be shaken up something fierce as the men gear-up to repeat their memorable Indoor Heps performance of last year, when they finished third overall with a strong rally of points in the distance events … “We are looking to score very well in the middle distance events,” said Coach Willy Wood. “If we want a shot at a top-three finish again, we need to replicate last year’s performance [when] we scored 65 points in the middle distance events.” … That assault will be led by sophomore Kyle Merber (Dix Hills, N.Y.), who has recently caught fire on the track, achieving the League’s top times in both the mile (4:02.60) and 3000m (8:09.01) … A pair of Lion veterans are in the Heps’ top 10 in both the 800- and 1,000-meter runs … Junior Matt Stewart (Brookline, Mass.) is ranked sixth in the 1000 (2:26.78) and seventh in the 800 (1:51.79) while senior Mike Mark (Warwick, N.Y.) holds ninth-place rankings in both, less than a second behind Stewart … And you can never rule out the intensity that junior and two-time Indoor Heps 1000m champion Jeff Moriarty (Westwood, Mass.) will bring to the track if healthy … On the sprints side, expect sophomore Justin Hollomon (Lawrenceville, Ga.) to go to battle in the 200 (22.44) and 400 (49.12) … Another athlete to keep a watchful eye on is junior Brendan Martin (Smithtown, N.Y.), who hopes to translate his successes from cross country to the track … He led Columbia to the Heps cross country title with his fifth-place showing in the fall … As always, with Columbia’s mighty middle distance contingent, look for the men’s relay teams to be a major threat in challenging for the win … “We are not ranked nearly as high coming in as we would like, but our men have a great tradition of performing well above expectations at this meet,” said Coach Wood. “I assume this year will be no different.”
Lions Among The Heps Top 10
Mike Mark, Sr., 800m—9 (1:52.72); 1k—9 (2:27.32)
Kyle Merber, Soph., Mile—1 (4:02.60); 3k—1 (8:09.01)
Matt Stewart, Jr., 800m—7 (1:51.79); 1k—6 (2:26.78)
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