New Haven, Conn. (March 31, 2007)?Freshman distance runner Lindsay Southard took down one women's school record on Saturday afternoon, while freshman jumper Malin Marmbrandt just missed out on taking down another. Southard set the new program record in the 3000m steeple chase and Marmbrandt recorded the second best long jump mark in Lady Jasper history as Manhattan Track and Field resumed its outdoor season at the SCSU Owl Invitational.
Despite the fact that some of the most accomplished Jaspers did not compete this weekend, including two-time NCAA Indoor All-American shot putter Milan Jotanovic and 2006 ECAC triple jump champ Tiina Magi, Manhattan still managed a fourth-place finish in the team standings on both the men and women's sides. The men tallied 55 points, while the Lady Jaspers accumulated 62.
Compensating for the absence of Jotanovic, Magi, and others was the return of Marmbrandt, high jumper Caitlyn Kjolhede, horizontal jumper
“It was great getting all of these athletes back today,” said head coach Dan Mecca. “Their unfortunate absence really took a toll on us during the winter, and we are glad that they are making their way back in a big way.”
After suffering an ankle injury on just her second attempt of the triple jump competition at the MAAC Indoor Championships on February 16, Marmbrandt finally made it back onto the runway. Despite taking a short approach, the freshman from
Similarly to the way her performance did not suffer due to a limit approach on Saturday, Marmbrandt's limited attempts at the MAAC meet did not prevent her from making an impact on that day. In only one try, Marmbrandt recorded a triple jump mark of 11.63m to place second in the MAAC behind only Magi.
Running the steeple chase for the first time in her collegiate career, Southard finished second overall behind only Gretchen Andrus of
The men's long jump competition marked the return of Street. Taking only a partial approach like his teammate Marmbrandt, Street posted a mark of 6.91m to take third behind host SCSU's Kevin Taylor and Robert Keizer.
Kjolhede, who had been out since January, finished seventh overall in the women's high jump despite taking only a three-step approach. The 2006 MAAC Indoor and Outdoor champ cleared 1.50m as she eased back into competition. Sophomore Paige McConney settled for second in the event with a height of 1.60m.
Cumberbatch, a sophomore, had not been in action since the 2006 outdoor campaign. The
Also on the track, senior Joe Cruz won the 110m hurdles in 14.89s, trimming 15 hundredths of a second off of his season-opening time from last week's ASU Clif Bar Invite. Fellow senior Darnell Douglas won the 400m dash, but the veteran has proven on several occasions in 2007 that he can run faster than Saturday's winning time of 49.18s.
Junior Rich Reuter highlighted