This past weekend, the Colby men’s and women’s indoor track teams competed at the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) meet in New York City. As the last meet of the season for many of the players, and a final tune-up for those who have qualified for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Championships, every athlete was especially motivated to record their best performances of the year.

Senior captain Danielle Sheppard led the pack, winning the high jump with a leap of 5 feet, 6 inches. Grabbing first place out of a field of 21 jumpers Sheppard recorded the Mules’ best finish and earned a total of 10 points for the team. Sheppard explained that, “Though I had already qualified for nationals, it was unlikely that I would go unless I jumped higher to improve my rankings. I was finally able to put it all together to tie my [personal record] from the 2010 outdoor track season.” Sheppard will attend the NCAA Championships in Columbus, Ohio this weekend as one of only a few Colby team members to qualify.

Several other women also recorded stunning performances, including record-breaking 200-meter and 4x200 meter runs. Frances Onyilagha ’14 sprinted her way to sixth place in the 200-meter run and broke an 18-year-old school record with the time of 25.78. Then, in the 4x200 meter relay, Onyilagha, Annabelle Hicks ’14, Brittney Bell ’13 and Brittany Tschaen ’11 recorded a time of 1:46.48.

On the men’s side, Dominique Kone ’13 earned fifth place in the 55-meter dash with a time of 6.47 seconds. Kevin Clarke ’14, Luke Doherty Munro ’13, Dylan Nisky ’14, and Matt White ’14 also claimed fifth place with a strong showing in the 3,200-meter relay (7:56.20).

With only the NCAA Championship meet left in the season, the qualifying athletes will travel to Ohio with the hopes of securing a few last victories to solidify the season, while the other indoor track and field members begin to prepare for the outdoor season.