Dartmouth's Woolley Clinches Pentathlon on First Day of Relays

Friday, January 9

Hanover, N.H.

11:00 a.m.

Dartmouth College

Dartmouth Relays

Dartmouth's Woolley Clinches Pentathlon on First Day of Relays

1/9/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field, Women's Track & Field

By: Dartmouth

Friday's Results

HANOVER, N.H. ? The first day of the 40th Dartmouth Relays at Leverone Field House was a lively day with the men's heptathlon, master's events, high school medley relays and highlighted by an exciting finish to the women's pentathlon.

Senior Karen Woolley (Hampton, Va.) entered the 800 meters race, the fifth and final event of the pentathlon, trailing Albany's Kamilah McShine by 67 points. Woolley finished with a time of 2:22.58, 10.34 seconds ahead of McShine to capture the pentathlon title 3389 to 3259. Freshman Rocco Pallin (Kenosha, Wis.) finished third with 3113 points while classmate Priscilla Trojano (West Bridgewater, Mass.) finished sixth with 2807. Dartmouth earned 17 points toward the team title with three athletes finishing in the top six.

The Dartmouth men placed four athletes in the top seven after four events in the heptathlon. Senior Tim Wunderlich (Westminster, Md.) trails leader Justin Benjaminson, 2691 points, by six points. Freshman Bob Contuzzi (Northampton, Mass.) is in third behind Benjaminson by 86 points. Senior Johnathan Essington (East Orange, N.J.) scored 2487 to finish the day in fifth while freshman Ian McAfee (Nashua, N.H.) scored 2264 points to round out the Big Green athletes competing.

Dartmouth was also represented well in the master's competition. Wayne Burwell '97 of Hanover won two events on the day. Burwell finished the 60-meter dash (30-34 age group) in 7.1 seconds then went on to win the 200-meter with a time of 22.74 seconds.

Mary Roman set a US record in the 70-74 age group competing in the shot put. The 73-year-old from Norwalk, Conn., hurled the put 8.25 meters (27 feet, 1 inch) to win the event.

Former Dartmouth gymnastics coach Keith Van Winkle of Norwich, Vt., won the 60-meter dash (65-69 age group) in 11.4 seconds. Carl Wallin, Dartmouth field events coach, finished sixth in the shot put (65-69 age group) with a throw of 12.45 meters (40 feet, 10 ? inches).

In the boys' distance medley, Alex Leuchanka, Adam Jacobs, Brian Trainor, and Dan Harris of Shenendehowa High School (Clifton Park, N.Y.) ran the nation's fastest time this year with a time of 10:24.41. Westerly High School (Westerly, R.I.) came in second with a time of 10:29.60.

The men's heptathlon resumes Saturday with the 60-meter hurdles, the pole vault, and the 1000-meter race, scheduled to start at 10:50 am. High school athletes compete in the majority of the events, beginning at 8:00 am.