PRINCETON, N.J. – As
Andie Murray crossed the finish line at Weaver Stadium, her arms flew into the air before her hands met her face in excitement and shock. In that moment, she closed out her final Ivy League Championship with a title in the 800m.
Surrounded by her teammates and the Dartmouth track and field staff, she explained to ESPN that she has always believed in herself despite past results.
"I have a whole team of girls that have always believed in me. This win is just as much theirs as it is mine. I'm so happy." Murray said. "My coaches, they have always believed in me, and it's hard to find, so I'm really lucky."
Racing in lane five, Murray kept a steady pace before becoming neck and neck with Columbia's Lucy Henkel in the back stretch. In the home stretch, Murray surged past Henkel and Princeton's Olivia Martin to become the Ivy League Champion of the 800m with a final time of 2:04.23.
"This weekend was filled with great performances, including four school records. To close out the meet with both 4x4's setting school records was awesome. Andie Murray winning the 800m was amazing. Mariella Schweitzer (long jump) and J'Voughnn Blake (800m) also set school records. I'm proud of this team and the heart they have shown," Mike Nelson, the Marjorie & Herbert Chase '30 Director of Dartmouth Track & Field and Cross Country, said. "We'll have a handful of athletes going to Lexington for the NCAA East Regional in two weeks. We look forward to representing the Big Green on the national level. Go Big Green!"
Blake finished second in the 800m, breaking a school record with a 1:47.09 finish. Jack Inglis took home a silver medal in the decathlon, finishing the event with 6551 points. Winston Morgan was a conference scorer, placing sixth in the 400m with a 46.54 finish.
The men's 4x400, consisting of Liam Murray, Jack Rousseau, Blake and Morgan, placed fourth and broke a program record with a 3:08.43 finish. The 4x800, including Eli Engelman, Connor Foley, Ashton Bange and Richard Rozkydalek, also earned the Big Green some points with a sixth-place finish. On the throws side, Max Klein took third place in the shot put with an 18.25m mark.
Rebeka Zibritova was a conference scorer for the Big Green, placing fifth in the 400m hurdles with a 59.31 finish. The 4x400 relay, consisting of Jada Jones, Veronika Simova, Zibritova and Schweitzer, also broke a program record and took home a bronze medal with a 3:38.01 finish. Jones scored some points for the Big Green with her sixth-place finish in the 400m, finishing in 23.59. She also took home a silver medal in the 200m with her 23.59 finish. On the throws side, Zaneta Pivcova placed sixth with a 15.07m throw in the shot put.
"I want to say a big thank you to all the seniors who have dedicated so much to Big Green Track & Field. This is truly a special class of student-athletes and they will be missed. Also, I want to give a shout-out to our support staff for all their hard work." Nelson said.