As the weather gets nicer every day, and the shorts, skirts and flip flops come out around campus, it can only mean one thing: spring is here. And with spring, the athletes of Colby are finally able to get out of the field house and start training and competing outdoors. This is especially true for the members of the men's and women's track and field teams, who have had their indoor seasons come to a close and are just beginning the outdoor track and field season.

The season started with a spring break trip to California, to take part in the Point Loma invitational. This was followed the next weekend by the Jim Sheehan Memorial Invitational at Fitchburg State College. The men's team was led by first year Dominique Kone, who spent the winter season playing on the men's basketball team. He opened up his Colby track and field career by winning the long jump with a leap of 22 feet 4.5 inches and finishing third in the 100-meter dash, in 11.29 seconds. The following week, he once again took home first in the long jump, leaping 22 feet 9.5 inches, while placing fifth in the 100-meter dash. Other notable finishers for the men's team included David Lowe '11, who took home third place in the 400-meter hurdles and fourth in the triple jump, Andy Maguire '11 who got fourth in the 10,000- meters, and team captain Mike Bienkowski '10 who finished sixth in the 3000-meter steeplechase and eighth in the 5000-meter. The team as a whole finished in eighth place in the first meet and seventh place in the second.

The women also found success in both of the first two meets. Emma Linhard '11 and Cassi Knight '10 each brought a third place finish home from California, in the 1,500-meters and the 3,000-meter steeplechase respectively. Kelley Foster '12 finished fourth in the discus throw, Katrina Gravel '10 finished fifth in the 5,000 meters and Danielle Sheppard '11 finished sixth in the high jump. The second meet for the women had even better results, with two Colby athletes winning their respective events. Sheppard finished first in the high jump, leaping 5 feet 5.75 inches, which was over six inches higher than her closest competitor. This mark provisionally qualified her for the national championships and ranks her fourth in the country among D III schools.

Linhard, meanwhile, won the 800 meters, in 2:18.24. Gravel finished second in the 10,000 meters, while third place finishes were delivered by Foster in the discus throw, Alyssa Marquez '11 in the pole vault, Mandy Ivey '10 in the 10,000 meters, Layne Schwab '13 in the 5000 meters, Heather MacDonald '10 in the 800 meters and Berol Dewdney '13 in the 3,000 meter steeplechase. The combined team effort put the women's team in third place out of the 17 teams that took part on the meet.

Up next for both teams is the MIT Invitational, this Saturday in Cambridge, MA. The track and fielders will be looking to bring more victory to Colby, so make sure you support them as they continue their quest for New England Small College Athletic Conference glory.