2008 NESCAC Track and Field Performers of the Week

May 5, 2008
Men's Track Performer of the Week
Peter Kosgei, Hamilton
(Sophomore - Kapsabet, Kenya)
Kosgei recorded the fastest time in the 800-meter in Division III so far this year and broke a 28-year old meet record with a time of 1:48.72 in the event at the NYSCTC Championship over the weekend. Kosgei also currently has the #2 time in the 1500-meter in the nation.

Men's Field Performer of the Week
Noah Gauthier, Bates
(Senior - Amherst, N.H.)
Gauthier placed first in the Hammer Throw (183-11), 4th in the Shot Put (48-3.25) and eighth in the Discus (135-11) at the Division III New England Championship hosted by Coast Guard on Saturday.

Women's Track Performer of the Week
Elise Tropiano, Amherst
(Junior - Laurel Hollow, N.Y.)
Tropiano finished first in the 3000-meter Steeplechase at the Division III New England Championship in a time of 10:36.46, and was second in the 5000-meter with a time of 17:18.64.

Women's Field Performer of the Week
Rachel Teitelbaum, Williams
(First Year - Oak Park, Ill.)
Teitelbaum placed second in the Pole Vault at the New England Division III Championship with a mark of 11-2.

April 28, 2008
Men's Track Performer of the Week
Peter Kosgei, Hamilton
(Sophomore - Kapsabet, Kenya)
Kosgei finished first in both the 800-meter and 1500-meter at the 2008 NESCAC Men’s Track & Field Championships, finishing with a meet and program record time of 1:50.62 in the 800 - the fastest in Division III so far this year - and 3:51.41 in the 1500. Kosgei also turned in an Olympic B standard time of 8:43.78 in the 3000-meter Steeplechase at the Penn Relays last week.

Men's Field Performer of the Week
Noah Gauthier, Bates
(Senior - Amherst, N.H.)
Gauthier was first in both the Hammer Throw (55.71m) and first in the Shot Put (15.11m) at the 2008 NESCAC Men’s Track & Field Championships on Saturday at Hamilton. The Bobcats finished the meet third with 84.50 points.

Women's Track Performer of the Week
Anna King, Colby
(Senior - Greenland, N.H.)
King broke the NESCAC Championship and Colby program record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, winning the event for the second-straight year at the 2008 NESCAC Women’s Track & Field Championships. Her time of 10:34.65 beat the rest of the field by nearly 36 seconds.

Women's Field Performer of the Week
Vantiel Elizabeth Duncan, Bates
(Sophomore - Topsham, Maine)
Duncan placed first in the Shot Put (13.51m), third in the Hammer Throw (43.43m), and fourth in the Discus (35.26m) at the 2008 NESCAC Women’s Track & Field Championships. Bates finished seventh with 62 points at the 11-team championship.

April 21, 2008
Men's Track Performer of the Week
Keith Drake, Connecticut College
(Senior - Norwich, Vt.)
Drake finished first in the 1,500-meter in back-to-back meets, as he had a school-record finish of 3:54.00 on Friday at the Larry Ellis Invitational hosted by Princeton before running a time of 4:05.59 on Saturday at the Silfen Invitational hosted by Connecticut College.

Men's Field Performer of the Week
Sam Grover, Wesleyan
(Senior - Williston, Vt.)
Grover contributed 26 of the Cardinals’ points at the Little Three Championships, as he won the High Jump (6-4.75), the Long Jump (21-0) and the Triple Jump (46-8.25) while finishing second in the 110-meter Hurdles (16.60).

Women's Track Performer of the Week
Elise Johnson, Williams
(Sophomore - Cleveland, Ohio)
Johnson placed first in the 100-meter at the Little Three Championship with a time of 12.66. She was also first in the 100-meter Hurdles (15.21) and finished third in the 400-meter (68.54). Johnson also helped the Ephs’ 4 x 100-meter relay team finish first in a time of 49.83.

Women's Field Performer of the Week
Margaret Thayer, Connecticut College
(Sophomore - Littleton, Colo.)
Thayer won the Long Jump at the Silfen Invitational hosted by Connecticut College on Saturday with a mark of 16-9.25, a personal best. The Camels won the 14-team event with a total of 164 points.

April 14, 2008
Men's Track Performer of the Week
Jimmy Butcher, Middlebury
(Senior - Garden City, N.Y.)
Butcher finished 9th in the 10,000-meter at the Bison Outdoor Classic hosted by Bucknell on Saturday with a time of 30:48.72.

Men's Field Performer of the Week
Noah Gauthier, Bates
(Senior - Amherst, N.H.)
Gauthier placed first in the Hammer Throw at the Bates/Colby/MIT tri-meet with a distance of 58.3 meters. Gauthier was also second in the Shot Put (14.63m) and fifth in the Discus (37.24m).

Women's Track Performer of the Week
Catherine Beck, Tufts
(Senior - Brookline, N.H.)
Beck finished first in the 800-meter at the Solomon Husky Invitational hosted by Northeastern over the weekend, posting a time of 2:11.52 that currently ranks first nationally across Division III.

Women's Field Performer of the Week
Vantiel Elizabeth Duncan, Bates
(Sophomore - Topsham, Maine)
Duncan won the Hammer Throw (49.11m) and Shot Put (13.51m) at the Bates/Colby/MIT meet over the weekend, and was second in the Discus (33.05m).

April 7, 2008
Men's Track Performer of the Week
Peter Kosgei, Hamilton
(Sophomore - Kapsabet, Kenya)
Kosgei, the defending NCAA champion in the 3,000-meter Steeplechase, placed first in the Steeplechase event at the Hamilton Invitational over the weekend with a time of 9:00.65. Kosgei broke the previous Steeplechase record at Pritchard Track by almost 28 seconds

Men's Field Performer of the Week
Tommie Lark, Wesleyan
(Freshman - Haverhill, Mass.)
Lark was first in the Triple Jump at the Coast Guard Invitational on Saturday, with a mark of 46-8.75. The Cardinals finished the 11-team meet in 5th.

Women's Track Performer of the Week
Liz Wahl, Hamilton
(Sophomore - Pocatello, Idaho)
Wahl set a program record in the 200-meter over the weekend, as she finished first in the event with a time of 26.55 at the Hamilton Invitational. She also won the 100-meter in 13.16 and was part of the Continentals’ winning 4x100 relay team.

Women's Field Performer of the Week
Brianna Kondrat, Colby
(Junior - Eaton, N.H.)
Kondrat helped the Mules win the 18-team Jim Sheehan Memorial Invitational hosted by Fitchburg St. over the weekend, as she was first in the Discus (119-11), second in the Hammer Throw (139-09), and third in the Shot Put (36-2). Kondrat’s toss in the Discus won the event by more than six feet.

March 31, 2008
Men's Track Performer of the Week
Sam Moorhead, Trinity
(Senior - Dedham, Mass.)
At the Bantam Invitational hosted by Trinity over the weekend, Moorhead placed first in the 800-meter with a time of 1:57.61 and was second in the 1,500-meter, finishing with a time of 4:04.74.

Men's Field Performer of the Week
Richard McNeil, Bates
(Sophomore - Lawrence, Mass.)
At the Snowflake Classic hosted by Tufts, McNeil was fourth in the Hammer Throw (158-6), second in the Discus (145-0) and second in the Shot Put (44-11.75).

Women's Track Performer of the Week
Esther Kendall, Bates
(Sophomore - Ridgeway, Ontario)
Kendall won the Steeplechase at the Tufts Snowflake Classic with a time of 12:27.50, as the Bobcats finished third at the meet. It was the first race for Kendall since the Cross Country season, as she is a member of the Bates Nordic Skiing team.

Women's Field Performer of the Week
Laura Komarek, Trinity
(First Year - Plymouth, Minn.)
Komarek came in second and was the top finisher among Division III competitors in the Shot Put with a 39-7.75 mark on Saturday at the Bantam Invitational at Trinity.