Both teams had success at the meet at MIT, as the men finished second in a 36-team field behind the University of Rhode Island's 124.5-point finish with 96.5 points. The women took third out of 37 teams with 57.5 points. The University of Connecticut dominated the women's meet with 225.25 points, and Williams came in second behind them with 74.25 points.
Men's head coach Barry Harwick '77 was pleased with the team's performance despite the pouring rain and cold that much of the East coast experienced this weekend, and appreciated the efforts put forth after the team competed at the Heptagonal Championships against the other Ivies.
"We had some great performances at the New England's despite some very challenging circumstances," Harwick said. "First, it is always hard to get the team ready for another meet right after the Heps; that is a draining meet, both physically and mentally. Secondly, the weather at MIT was brutal."
The Big Green saw two wins from its distance squad, as Steve Mucchetti '06 won the 5,000-meter run in 14:39.28, using a strong finish to outpace the competition by two seconds, and Ben True '08 defended his regional title in the 1,500 with a 3:52.1 win.
"I was very happy for our two men's champions," Harwick said. "Steve Mucchetti won the 5,000 title in his final track race for Dartmouth. He really hammered the last lap for a dominating win. Ben True '08 defended his 1,500 title from last year easily and looks very ready for the NCAA regional meet."
Harry Norton '08 finished third in the 1,500 with a 3:55.2 run.
While the men benefited from their veteran talent, it was the rookies who stepped up for the Lady Green. Karen Woolley '09 and Tara McNerney '09 both displayed the talent that will continue to benefit Dartmouth for the next few years in taking New England titles.
McNerney cleared 5'8 3/4" to win the high jump by nearly a two-inch margin, continuing to impress in her best event.
Woolley won the heptathlon with an overall score of 4,203 points, just edging Kathleen Nugent of Bates, who finished with 4,128 points.
"It was nice to see two freshmen win New England crowns," Harwick said of the Lady Green. "Karen Woolley had a tremendous effort in the 800, the final event of the heptathlon, to pull out that victory. Tara McNerney continued her outstanding season in the high jump to win her first New England title."
Woolley and McNerney were not the only freshmen who had strong finishes at MIT. Natalie Todd-Zebell '09 also performed in her event, clearing 11'3" in the pole vault to finish third, and Emily Daly '09 threw the discus 130' 11" to take second in the event.
Not to be outdone by her younger teammates, Mattie Chatterton-Richmond '06 placed in two events, finishing fourth in the long jump with a 18'3 3/4" leap and bounding 39'1 3/4" in the triple jump to take third.
At the shorter distances, Fatih Stanley '06 clocked in at 21.83 to take sixth in the 200 meters, Charlie Stoebe '08 finished the 400 in 48.83 to take fourth, and Mike Carmody '08 ran 1:51.53 in the 800 to miss first place by 0.13 seconds, taking runner-up honors.
In the distance events, Grant Allen '08 finished third in the 3,000 meter steeplechase, crossing the line in 9:31.50.
The Big Green saw myriad success in the field events. Derek Vinklarek '08 cleared 14'5 1/4" in the pole vault to finish fourth in the event.
Randy McKnight '08 placed in three events, finishing third in the long jump and fourth in the triple jump with personal-best leaps of 23' 1 1/4" and 47'8," respectively. He also clocked a 15.21 to finish seventh in the 110-meter hurdles.
Rob Kerris '07 finished fifth in the shot put, and sixth in the discus with throws of 51' 11 3/4" and 141'6", respectively.
Nicholas Weir '09 took second in the decathlon with 5,618 points after leading the first day of events with 3,048 points.
