The Ithaca College men’s and women’s track teams sent five athletes to the NCAA Division III Indoor Championships at the Charles Benson Bear ’39 Recreation and Athletic Center on March 11–12 in Grinnell, Iowa. The Bombers left the meet with four All-American titles and two new school records.
Sophomore distance runner Taryn Cordani said overall, the team did very well at Nationals.
“The team did amazing. Walking away with four All-Americans is something to be very proud of,” Cordani said. “Competing at nationals is crazy because you’re surrounded by some of the best athletes in the country. It’s really an honor.”
The men’s team finished in 38th with five points, while the women’s team placed 13th overall with 15 points.
Senior co-captain and high jumper Andrew Brandt finished fourth overall in the high jump at 2.08 meters. He became the first men’s individual indoor track All-American since 2002.
For the women, junior pole vaulter Katherine Pitman finished second overall with a mark of 3.95 meters. She cleared 3.95 meters on her second attempt, and then moved on to 4.00 meters where she missed all three attempts.
Pitman finished behind three-time national champion Cimran Virdi from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who cleared 4.13 meters on her first attempt.
Junior co-captain and thrower Brandy Smith finished third overall in the weight throw with both a school record and a new personal best of 18.46 meters. She reached 18.46 meters on her third attempt after fouling on two of her final attempts. Smith finished almost a full meter ahead of the fourth-place thrower.
Cordani placed eighth overall in the 3,000-meter run to become the program’s 100th All-American. This is her second All-American title this year, as she also received one for cross-country. She broke her own record in this event for the second time this season, with a time of 9:42.85. Cordani finished just .85 seconds from seventh place and only 2.84 seconds from third place.
This was the last meet for the men’s and women’s indoor track teams. They will begin their outdoor season at 10 a.m. March 26 at the Susquehanna Invitational in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania.
