The Dartmouth Women's Track Team captured first place this past Saturday in a four-way meet at Leverone Field House against the University of Vermont, the University of New Hampshire and the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
The 56 points earned by the Big Green gave the team a comfortable margin over the Vermont's second-place finish of 48 points. UMass-Amherst came in third with 35 ahead of last place New Hampshire, who scored 13 points.
First-place finishes were turned in by Dartmouth's Maribel Sanchez '96 in the mile, Kristin Cobb '95 in the 800-meter run, Cailin Nelson '97 in the 5,000-meter run and Amy Winchester '96 in the shot put.
Vermont relinquished its lead to Dartmouth in the 800-meter race, where Cobb and Sanchez came in first and second, respectively.
Candi Shoemaker '94 turned in a second-place finish in the 20-pound weight and the shot put, while Becky Gayman '95 had a second place finish in the 200-meter run and a third place in the 55-meter dash.
The win marked Coach Sandra Ford-Centonze's first victory over Vermont since she left there in 1992 to join the Big Green.
"We were down going into this event because many of our big scorers were injured," Ford-Centonze said. "Everybody gave a hundred percent and did what I knew they could do."
One of the many bright spots of the competition was Cobb's personal best time of 9:41.0 in the 3,000-meter run. The performance qualified her for the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship.
In three weeks, the women's team will be competing at the Heptagonal Championships. Ford-Centonze said this win has given the team the confidence they need for this important event.
"The Heps is the most important meet of our season. The team is on a high right now," she said. "Barring any more injuries, we should be ready to do well there."
On the men's side, Adam Nelson '97 set a school record in the shot put at the Greater Boston Track Club Invitational this past weekend.
Nelson's toss of 57-6 broke the previous record of 57-3, set by brothers Ted Moody in 1970 and Wayne Moody in 1972. His performance was good enough for a second-place finish and a provisional qualification for the NCAA Championship.
Dartmouth Coach Carl Wallin, who coached the Moody brothers when their records were set, was with Nelson in Boston when he set his record.
Nelson was also one of a handful of freshmen to play varsity football this fall for the Big Green. As a linebacker, he was credited for an important play in the 31-13 win against Bucknell this past fall.
A graduate of the Lovett School, Nelson was a two-time Georgia state champion in the shot put and the discus events. He also placed first in the shot put at this summer's Junior Pan American games.
