The Georgetown men’s and women’s track and field team both earned 20th place at the 2001 Division I Men’s NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. The meet was held on March 9 and 10 at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Ark.

The Georgetown men earned 10 points, which earned them a tie for 20th place, while the Georgetown women were able post 11 points to place 20th. In the overall competition, Louisiana State University took first place in the Men’s Division with 34 points, and the UCLA routed the opposition with 53.5 points in the Women’s Division.

The men’s team qualified to participate in only two events: the 3,000-meter and the distance medley relay. The distance medley team shined brightly in their competition by earning five points, placing a solid fourth place with a time of 9:36.56. The team of sophomore Dylan Welsh, sophomore James Graham, senior Isidro Pimentel and sophomore anchor Chris Miltenberg posted the third-best time run by a men’s distance medley team in Georgetown history. Miltenberg also tallied up another five points for the Hoyas by placing fourth in the 3,000-meter event with a time of 8:06.18.

Head Coach Ron Helmer commented on Miltenberg’s tremendous effort in both Georgetown successes. “He made an exceptional effort racing two events back to back. Given his sophomore standing this year, he should be a force in his next two years here,” Helmer said. He believes that if one or two competitors like iltenberg are doing well, they will inspire the rest of the team to strive for excellence at the national level.

The women’s team placed in three separate events during the competition: the 5000-meter run, the distance medley relay and the 4×400-meter relay. Leading the way for the Hoyas was sophomore arni Kruppa. Kruppa was seeded ninth going into the 5000-meter competition, yet surged past expectations and took third place in the national competition. This time was the third-best time in Georgetown women’s history and surpassed Kruppa’s previous personal best by 13 seconds.

“We thought if she pushed herself she could be in the top five, and not only did she make the top five but she was .55 seconds away from second place,” Helmer said.

The distance medley team, comprised of sophomore anchor Erin Sicher, junior Tyrona Heath, freshman Jill Laurendeau and junior Heather Blackard, finished well, coming in sixth overall (11:17.91). Also earning points for the Hoyas was the 4×400-meter relay team, clocking in at seventh place (3:36.56). The team was made up of sophomore Jamillah Bowmann, freshman Kori Hamilton and seniors Nickay Penado and Sasha Spencer. The relay team ran the fourth-best time in Hoya history.

Helmer was relatively satisfied with the season. “If we are going to call ourselves one of the elite track and field teams in the East, you have to compete and perform well in the NCAA. I feel like we did well in the Big East Tournament and the NCAA, but I was a little disappointed by our third place finishes in the IC4A and the ECAC given that we won those tournaments last year,” Helmer said.

The NCAA Championships was the last meet of the season for Georgetown indoor track and field; the outdoor track and field season starts next week.

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