Wheaton track teams excel at Boston University meets; Lyons shatter four school records with 10 NCAA qualifying marks

February 14, 2004

BOSTON, MA- The Wheaton College men's and women's indoor track and field teams had their best showing of the season this weekend at Boston University, as the Lyons combined to shatter four school records with an astounding 10 NCAA qualifying marks at BU's Track and Tennis Center. The women broke two school marks with six NCAA qualifying performances at the two-day Valentine Invitational, while the men also shattered a pair of Wheaton records in addition to posting four NCAA qualifying standards at the FasTrack Invitational.

Senior Amber James (Woodbury, MN/Woodbury) continued to shine in the 400-meter dash, as she once again posted the fastest NCAA Division III time in the country with a blazing mark of 54.48, which also shattered her personal-best record of 55.01 set earlier this year. Posting an NCAA Division III national meet automatic qualifying standard with the top collegiate finish, James has her eye on qualifying for the 2004 USA Indoor Track & Field Championships that are to be held at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston later this month.

James also anchored Wheaton's provisional-qualifying 4x400-meter relay team, joining junior Jessica Allegra (East Hampton, CT/East Hampton), sophomore Oly Wirtz (Fitchburg, MA/Fitchburg) and freshman Alison Amendola (Franklin, MA/Franklin) with a time of 3:55.33. James rounded out her impressive meet with an eighth-place standing in the 55-meter dash in 7.38.

Sophomore Aspen James (Woodbury, MN/Woodbury) topped the collegiate field in the 55M event, sprinting to an impressive time of 7.20 and in the process reaching a national meet provisional qualifying time. She also ran a personal-best time in the 200-meter dash, racing to a mark of 25.15 while finishing sixth overall. Allegra qualified provisionally in the 400 open with a time of 58.53.

Senior Kim Spence (Barrington, NH/Dover) turned in an impressive performance in the mile, notching a national meet provisional qualifying standard with a time of 5:06.31. Sophomore Kendra Leith (Holden, MA/Wachusett Regional) was outstanding in the 5,000-meter run, as she scorched her previous school record by 15 seconds with a time of 17:54.35, nearly meeting the provisional qualifying mark.

Rounding out the solid distance performances was Wheaton's medley relay team, consisting of Allegra, Spence and juniors Erin O'Brien (North Easton, MA/Oliver Ames) and Lindsay Whalen (Dedham, MA/Dedham), who finished sixth overall in this their first race of the season at 12:38.43. In the field, sophomore Noelle Battista (Warwick, RI/Toll Gate) once again placed among the top competitors in the pole vault, qualifying provisionally as the runner-up at 11' 11 3/4".

Senior Erik Benson (Southbury, CT/Pomperaug) and junior Stan Pyle (South Portland, ME/South Portland) highlighted the meet on the men's side, as both Benson and Pyle met or broke their own school records in the 400-meter dash and 5,000-meter run, respectively. Benson tied his personal-best time with a provisional qualifier of 48.50 in the 400, while Pyle blew away his career-best performance with a provisional time of 14:41.26.

The 400 open and 4x400-meter relay were by far the most successful events of the afternoon, as Benson, sophomore Ajay Sisodia (Andover, MA/Andover) and Wheaton's 4x400M team had national meet provisional qualifying times. Sisodia finished the 400 in 49.06, while junior Adam Walker (Westfield, NJ/Westfield) just missed being the third Lyon to qualify for nationals with a time of 49.87.

Sisodia was six-hundredths of a second short of qualifying in the 55-meter dash in 6.56. Benson, Walker and Sisodia later sided with junior Patrick Freytag (Pittsford, NY/McQuaid Jesuit) in the 4x400M event to qualify provisionally in 3:18.66, just over a second shy of the school record. Rounding out Wheaton's solid marks was senior Terry Panetta (Hicksville, NY/St. Anthony's) in the mile, as he nearly met a provisional qualifying standard with a time of 4:19.5.

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