The Binghamton men’s and women’s track and field teams competed at the Penn Relays, the oldest and largest track and field meet in the country, this weekend. Despite the depth of the competition at the elite meet, the Bearcats placed in multiple events, including a first-place finish in the men’s pole vault. The athletes that didn’t travel to the Penn Relays competed at the Cornell Big Red Invitational.

On the men’s side, the distance medley relay (DMR) squad of juniors Eric Holt and Jon Alkins, sophomore Nate Howe and senior Jesse Garn took seventh in the Championship section, notching a Binghamton program record with a time of 9:40.63. Garn, who anchored the relay, ran a 3:58.53 for his 1600-meter leg, the fastest split of any team in the race.

Senior Joe Miceli won the pole vault in the College Division, hitting a mark of 16-2 ¾. Sophomore Ted Okon finished second in the high jump (6-8 ¼), while senior Pat Heikklia threw for 53-10 ¼, good enough for an eighth-place finish in the shot put.

Senior Christy DiMichele had the highest finish for the women at the Penn Relays, placing 12th in the College Division pole vault (11-5 ¾).

BU head coach Michael Thompson said he was impressed with his team’s performance at Penn.

“To finish in the top seven against some of the top schools in the nation [in the DMR] is exciting,” Thompson said. “And Miceli winning the pole; the conditions were miserable and it just didn’t phase him.”

At Cornell, the Bearcats recorded four first-place finishes.

Heikklia returned to action to win the men’s shot put, throwing for 49-11. He also placed second in the hammer throw (165-0).

On the women’s side, senior Caysie Capano took the win in the women’s hammer (152-9) and was the runner up in the shot put (37-6 ½).

Sophomore Malaika Palacios was first in the long jump, jumping a distance of 18-9. Freshman Jessica Thatcher, meanwhile, took top honors in the women’s 3,000 with a time of 11:09.49.

“The standout performance was definitely Palacios in the long jump,” Thompson said. “That was a huge performance for her.”

These meets mark the end of the regular season for the Bearcats, who now look forward to the America East (AE) Outdoor Championships. Thompson said that he’s not sure how his team looks at the moment because of the poor conditions of the last meets.

“I think they look okay, but the weather has affected everybody,” Thompson said. “I think a lot of people look really good but some people look kind of questionable. I think there are some unknowns.”

Thompson said that the goal for the men’s team is to finish in the top two. The goal for the women is up in the air due to the fact that junior Keishorea Armstrong is redshirting this season in order to take advantage of additional training. Keishorea has led the women’s team in recent years, earning the AE Coaches’ Award for recording the most points at the conference’s indoor and outdoor championships last season.

“I’m just hoping for everyone to step up,” Thompson said.

The Bearcats are set to compete next at the AE Outdoor Track and Field Championships, which will be hosted by Vermont on May 7 and 8. The start times for the meet have yet to be announced.