CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - The Cornell men's track and field team finished day one of the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships in third place with 20 points. 10 Big Red athletes registered personal bests, including Brady Shute who set a new Cornell record in the 1000-meter run. Brad Morell put on a strong performance, earning a career-best in the weight throw which sits on the brink of an NCAA qualification. Morell's phenomenal mark in the weight throw also ranks fifth all-time in Ivy League history.

Finals, Team Points and Personal Bests
Rhys Hammond (3000), Shane Racey (Pole Vault), Vicentejordan Vanderlipe (pole vault), Eli Gault-Crabb (pole vault), Morell (weight throw), Mark Skerl (long jump), Ryan Antwi (long jump), Josh Green (long jump) competed in final events on day one of Heps.

Hammond claimed two team points for the Big Red as he finished with a time of 8:04.08, which earned him a fifth-place result in the 3000-meter run. Racey and Vanderlipe notched the same 5.26-meter height in the pole vault finals, earning third- and fourth-place to add 10 points to Cornell's team score. Morell boosted the Big Red's total by eight, registering a personal-best 22.02 meters (second-place) in the weight throw championship.

Strong Day One In The Multis
Mark Skerl, Patrick Brewer, Ryan Brynjolfson, and Justin Wei competed in the first four events of the Heptathlon on Saturday.

Skerl currently stands second (2977) in the rankings, while Brynjolfson (2934) and Brewer (2583) sits fourth and ninth, respectively.

Skerl's top event so far was the 60-meter dash, taking first as he sprinted through the line in 6.86 seconds. Brynjolfson bested the field in the high jump, leaping 2.01 meters. Brewer had his best outing in the high jump, marking 1.89 meters which was good for third-place.

More points are at stake tomorrow as the heptathlon athletes are set to compete in the 60-meter hurdles, pole vault, and 1000-meter run tomorrow to determine the Ivy League Champion.

Trials, 10 Athletes Advance
Damian Hackett, Domenic Baressi (60- and 200-meter dashes), Semi Robertson (60-and 100-meter dashes), Pierre Attiogbe, Colden Longley, Joshua Gittens (400-meter dash), Tomas Kersulis (400-meter dash), Fabien De Silva (400-meter dash), Angus Dove (500-meter dash), Michael Mazero (500-meter dash), Tyler Tisinger (800-meter run), Sam Ayers (800-meter run), Mario Xerri (800-meter run), Shute (1000-meter run), Jacob Pantonya (1000-meter run), Derek Amicon (1000-meter run), and Pelham Bergesen (1000-meter run) laced up for trials on day one of the Heptagonal Championships.

Shute set a new Cornell record in the 1000-meter run, crossing the tape in a time of 2:23.51 (fourth). Amicon joined him as a 1000-meter run qualifier, finishing in 2:23.86. Hackett moved on to the mile finals after taking first (4:09.60) in the opening round, which was five spots ahead of Attiogbe (4:10.34) who also qualified. Baressi clinched the final round of the 60-meter dash, finishing fourth among clinchers with a time of 6.78 seconds.

Three Cornellians earned spots in the 400-meter finals, including reigning champion Kersulis (48.50 seconds), Gittens (48.32 seconds), and De Silva (48.69 seconds). Tisinger took third (1:51.15) among qualifiers in the 800-meter run. Ayers made a strong push in his 800-meter heat as well, taking third (1:52.88), which would sneak him past Kaplan of Princeton for the last qualifying spot. 

Big Red Personal Bests
Mark Skerl
60-meter dash (multis) - 6.86 seconds
Shot Put (multis) - 11.15 meters

Patrick Brewer
60-meter dash (multis) - 7.38 seconds
High Jump (multis) - 1.89 meters

Ryan Brynjolfson
Long Jump (multis) - 6.86 seconds

Domenic Barresi
60-meter dash - 6.78 seconds

Brady Shute
1000-meter run - 2:23.51

Derek Amicon
1000-meter run - 2:23.86

Josh Green
Long Jump - 7.10 meters

Vicentejordan Vanderlipe
Pole Vault - 5.26 meters

Brad Morell
Weight Throw - 22.02 meters

Semi Robertson
200-meter dash - 22.41 seconds

Next Up
The Cornell men's track and field team will return to competition tomorrow for the final day of the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships. Events are slated to begin at 11:00 a.m. at Gordon Indoor Complex.