Boston filled with personal bests for Lions

It seemed everywhere you turned last weekend another Lion was setting a lifetime best as athletes took to the track at Harvard and Boston University last weekend. Among the most notable was Madison Clarke as she set new lifetime bests on back to back days in Beantown.
Clarke kicked it off Friday night in the mile at the Harvard Crimson Elite where she ran to her first sub five minute mile, clocking in at 4:57.07 to finish second. Right behind her was teammate Rebecca Brennan who took third in 5:02.18. With the performances the pair move to second and third all-time at the University of Ottawa. Clarke followed things up Saturday at BU with another lifetime best in the 1000m, winning in 2:50.59.
It was a sweep of the 1000m for the Gee Gees at BU as Stephen Evans claimed victory for the second time in as many weeks. Evans crossed the line in 2:25.78 as he continues to lead the USports rankings.
Also at Boston University, the trio of Sydney Smith, Mary Ollier and Marie-Eve Dahms lit up the track over 500m. The women finished 5-6-7 over the non-conventional distance and more importantly did so with the best times of their lives. Smith’s time of 1:15.43 moved her into a tie for ninth with Sharelle Samuel on the club’s all-time list while Ollier snuck back into the top ten with her run of 1:15.59.
Elsewhere on the track, Saj Alhaddad and Maeliss Trapeau each set new indoor bests in their respective events. Alhaddad claimed eighth in the 400m at Boston with a 49 second flat clocking. Over 800m, Trapeau also finished eighth, crossing the line in 2:09.57.
Thrower Christina Hertner stepped away from her shot put specialty to launch some big heaves in the weight throw over the two days of competition. She began Friday at Harvard where she cracked the 14m barrier for the first time with 14.42m heave. She promptly followed that up the next day at Boston, whirling the 20lb ball out to 14.08m.
Elsewhere, Telvin Tavernier captured gold in the heptathlon at the Bomber Invite in Ithaca, New York. The Carleton University graduate finished tops in the long jump, shot put and pole vault en route to amassing 5060 points. In the women’s pentathlon, Gee Gee Emily Sprague added 116 points to her lifetime best to finish 3rd with 3115 points.
Finally, down in Nebraska, Iowa State transfer Keira Christie-Galloway continued to roll, equaling her second fastest 60m hurdle time of 8.31 seconds to finish second at the Husker Invite.
The Lions return to action today at the Fasttrack National Invite on Staten Island in New York. Tim Nedow will also compete at the IAAF World Indoor Tour event in Madrid.