The Middlebury men's and women's indoor track and field teams opened the 2020 season, hosting the annual Middlebury Winter Classic on Saturday. The Panthers had a number of quality performances among the six schools competing. Middlebury's women finished in second place with 135 points with Franklin Pierce taking first with 143, while the Panther men were fourth with 83 points. Franklin Pierce (147.5) also took top honors on for the men. Both Middlebury teams return to action Saturday, hosting the Middlebury Winterfell at 11:30 a.m. on the New Balance Track in the Virtue Field House.
On the women's side, Grace Desmond was a double winner, taking top honors in the 60-meter hurdles and the long jump. She boasted a swift time of 9.38 seconds to win the hurdles, while sailing 17'1.5" to win the long jump. Leah Granger took top honors in the pole vault for Middlebury, clearing an even 10'. Cady Barns added another winning effort in the triple jump, bouncing her way to a distance of 34'7".
On the track, Phoebe Colvin Oehmig paced the field in the 3,000 meters, finishing the event in 11:09.98. Middlebury closed out the meet by winning the 4x400-meter relay. Audrey Grimes, Emma Hills, Julia Munz and Ava O'Mara combined for a top time of 4:16.31.
Catherine Walker placed second in the 60-meter hurdles with a clocking of 9.73 seconds, while Emily Ray was second in the 20-pound weight throw with a distance of 44'2".
The Panthers had a strong showing in the field events on the men's side, taking the top two spots in the high jump. Jonathan Fisher set a school record, clearing the bar at 6'4.75" to best the old mark of Taylor Shortsleeve set in 2015 by a half inch. Tim DeLorenzo finished second with a height of 5'10.75."
Nathaniel Klein took second in the 35-pound weight throw, with a heave of 47'8.5" and was third in the shot put (44'1.5"). Will Behm turned in a second-place effort in the pole vault with a height of 12'5.5".
In the 500 meters, Michael Wasserstein was first in his heat and third overall with a time of 1:12.92.
