Tom Hopkins of Princeton won his 2nd 400m Heps title today, winning in 47.66 over Cornell’s Larry Gibson (47.89) and Brown’s Ajani Brown (48.09). Hopkins made up the starting stagger by the 150m point, but on the second curve, Gibson and Brown started to make their move on Hopkins. Hopkins held them off for the win.
Meanwhile, Udeme Akpaete (Cornell) made up her stagger within the first 100m, but she might have spent too much energy to do that because by the last 20 meters, she was passed by her teammate Zena Kolliesuah. Kolliesuah won her first individual title in 54.40. Cornell went 1-2-3 with Akpaete (54.61) and Ebotulese Airewele (54.73).
Out in the field, Brown senior Victoria Buhr defended her discus throw title with a distance of 166-04. The distance ties her for the #3 performance in Heps meet history. Harvard’s Nikki Okwelogu finished in 2nd place with 157-0 while Buhr’s teammate Josephine Darpolor finished in 3rd with 156-06.
Bruno Hortelano-Roig scratched from the 100m final so the event was wide open. Princeton’s John Hill had a great start and held of Harvard’s Damani Wilson for his first Heps title – 10.66 to 10.70. Legal wind.
The women’s 100m also had a surprise – Kaitlin Whitehorn took over the lead at the 60m point and claimed the win in 11.74, holding off Harvard’s Ashley Collinsworth in 11.78. Also wind-legal. Yes, Whitehorn just won the 100m-High Jump titles. She’s also in the 200m final later today.
In the 800m, Harry McFann of Columbia took the lead at the start and never fully let it go. Brown’s Tyler Benster and Columbia’s Brendon Fish challenged McFann at various points during the race, but McFann held on to win in 1:48.73, Fish was second in 1:48.90, Benster was 3rd in 1:49.72.
Harvard’s Erika Veidis followed the same methodology in winning her 800m crown in 2:06.23. She took the lead post after the break and never let it go. She was challenged by Columbia’s Trina Bills (2nd – 2:07.46), Cornell’s Elyse Wilkinson (3rd – 2:07.88) and Dartmouth’s Meggie Donovan (4th – 2:09.44)
=================================================================================== Men - Team Rankings - 13 Events Scored =================================================================================== 1) Princeton 96.33 2) Harvard 92 3) Cornell 80.66 4) Dartmouth 50 5) Penn 41 6) Columbia 17 7) Yale 15 8) Brown 11
================================================================================ Women - Team Rankings - 16 Events Scored ================================================================================ 1) Harvard 113 2) Dartmouth 94 3) Princeton 69 4) Cornell 65 5) Columbia 58 6) Brown 41.50 7) Penn 39.50 8) Yale 16