It was a big weekend for AU track, as the team split up to compete at the 100th Millrose Games and the Armory Collegiate Invitational in New York.
The men's team was living proof that teamwork pays off, as the unyielding 4x800 team took hold of the win this Friday at the Millrose games. Junior Steve Hallinan led the team with a steady pace to open up a five-meter lead for teammate Alex Caudana.
Caudana received the baton with a 1:55 split. The senior runner kept a steady pace and held off a rapidly approaching Villanova runner in his last lap. Junior Brian McCabe held a 15-meter lead for the Eagles, fending off teams from Cornell, Georgetown, Oregon and Villanova.
Anchoring the race was senior Dustin Emrani, American's top 800-meter runner. Emrani pushed off a strong Villanova campaign to clock in the 7:39.88 win, the fastest time in AU history at Madison Square Garden.
"There was more pressure going into this one because it was the 100th anniversary and we had won it two years in a row," Emrani said of the race. "They put some really good teams in it this year, so it was a much harder task."
"These guys made it extremely easy," he said of his relay teammates. "I was very nervous before the race, but we got in great position. Steve, Alex and Brian took care of business and made my job a lot easier."
Anchoring the men's 4x800 team to victory was not the only success Emrani had this past weekend. At the Armory Collegiate Invitational in New York, the senior runner set a season's best in the 800-meter race. Emrani ran a 1:54.70, allowing him to take hold of sixth place.
Senior Brendan Fennell also found success at Armory, clocking a personal best in the 3,000 meter. Fennell's winning time was 8:07.01, beating his old personal best by over 15 seconds and putting him second in the school record books.
"I was happy with the result," Fennell said, "I felt really in control the whole race."
It was his second personal best time of the season, and puts him in a good position to run in the 1,000, 3,000 or mile at the Patriot League Championships in two weeks.
"It was good to see American go up against some bigger teams," Fennell said of the competition. "[The result] was great because it fired everyone up and set a tone for the weekend."
In the men's mile, the Eagles grabbed two top-10 finishes from seniors Awit Yohannes and Alex Caudana. Yohannes came back from a slow start to take second with 4:13.99, while Caudana took sixth with 4:20.12.
On the women's side, runners Cathleen Ford and Ashley Dellinger both had exceptional performances. Dellinger ran 2:23.57 in the woman's 800 at the Armory Collegiate Invite, while Ford ran a personal best, placing fourth in the 3,000 with 10:06.87, besting a previous personal record by over 12 seconds.
The Eagles head to Delaware for the Thomson Invite on Saturday as they begin to prepare for the Patriot League Championships.
