SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Southern Vermont College outdoor track & field team registered its first-ever appearances in the Division III New England Championship Saturday afternoon at Springfield College as sophomore Marc Brandmeyer (Bennington, Vt.) and freshman Isaiah Backels (Derry, N.H.) participated after qualifying with the squad's first entries in just its second year as an NCAA accredited program.
Brandmeyer placed fifth overall in the men's 3000 meter steeplechase while Backels had a tough go in the men's pole vault, both facing off in wet, dreary conditions against the best that New England had to offer from DIII institutions across the region.
Brandmeyer crossed the line in the steeplechase with a time of 9:29.82, taking over 13 seconds off his previous team record to barely edge a Tufts University runner and take fifth place at the championship for All-New England honors. Backels then took a hard fall during his warm up before he was unable to make an official mark in his discipline.
"It's been a great experience for both athletes who were able to come here," commented second-year Mountaineer head coach Kathleen Newton, "and, obviously, to represent SVC at such a big event. I know that they were both really excited and that we, as coaches, were really excited to have them here. They both did really well."
Brandmeyer will now focus on getting set for the next postseason championship, the Eastern College Athletic Conference DIII title meet at Westfield State University on Friday, May 20.
The Steeplechase
Spectators can look on in wonder and amazement at first glance at what the event involves. The run is just like any other in track, but with a twist – a twist and a jump, and the potential of treading through water.
The collegiate course goes 7.5 time around a standard track but utilizes four hurdle barriers and a water pit. The hurdles are about 35 inches tall but are wider and sturdier than standard hurdles – making them possible for runners to jump up, and onto, them and then push off if needed. One also includes a water pit behind it that measures 70 centimeters at the deepest point but then gradually gets shallower away from the hurdle – encouraging runners to leap as far as they can so to avoid as much water as possible. In all, participants need to go over 28 barriers and- possibly through- seven water pits after running straight through the opening lap.
The event was adapted from races through the Western European countryside that would see the competitors go from town-to-town, using church steeples as checkpoints as they were the easiest markers to see over the tree line. Undoubtedly, the runners would need to traverse through streams and brooks and over small rock walls separating estates, giving way to the barriers and water pits now seen in the modern-day version.
Brandmeyer took off from the line and stayed with the lead pack through the first few laps, completing the opening loop in about 70 seconds before facing the barriers. He rounded the track for a second time in about 75 ticks before falling a few placements behind with a pair of 77-second splits through the next two laps. The Mountaineer dropped to 76 and 78-second intervals as the second heat of the event drew on, finding Brandmeyer separated from the first handful of runners and in front of the last few participants.
The SVC sophomore then picked it up down the stretch, however, rounding his seventh full lap at 76 seconds as he closed in on the competition. Brandmeyer then made a late drive through the final 200 meters, rounding the corner and crossing the finish line in another 36 clicks to edge the Tufts participant by .18 seconds and put himself at fifth overall after being seeded 11th in his heat with a personal-best 9:43.39 prior to Saturday.
"Marc had an amazing race," Newton commented. "From where he was seeded, he had a really strong last two laps. It was just had a great race. A couple times, I could tell that he was really struggling and really pushing. But he was able to come back and be really strong at the end, and I'm very proud of him and the way that he ran that race. I think he ran a smart race. He stayed with the group in the beginning and didn't over-push it. At the right time- the last two or three laps- I think he was able to pass a couple of guys and have a strong finish."
"I thought I was doing pretty well in it," Brandmeyer said after returning to the SVC campus. "I went into lap three thinking the race was never going to end. But I definitely felt a lot better at the end, and I really pushed to beat some of the guys there; they were some really good runners, and I knew if I could pass a few of them, then my time would easily go down. I was using the other runners there to help push myself and perform better."
In his first steeplechase of the season (March 26), Brandmeyer ran a 10:03.42, making his time at the DIII New England's over 33 seconds better than that which he posted in his collegiate debut in the event.
"Coach K gave me a lot of great workouts," Brandmeyer said of his tremendous improvement. "A lot of the team has been pushing me- telling me I can do it and, pretty much, wanting me to further and further myself. It's really nice to have teammates and coaches who are able to help you that way. The motivation- even from the staff and the faculty, really pushed me to work a little harder."
Backels struggled to find his groove once getting the chance to warm up and hit the runway nearly an hour after previously anticipated as the women's event went long. The rookie couldn't get his launching distance right before taking a practice vault that left him vulnerable to the ground as he came crashing down from a high distance, missing the landing mat as he put a great deal of stress on his shoulder.
"That really hurt," Backels said of his off-target finish. "I just kind of pushed through it; I wanted to at least give it a try and see what I could do. Coaches got me this far, so I wanted to show them I could put in the effort."
The Southern Vermont freshman persisted through the pain and gave it another practice go before stepping up to his three official chances to clear the bar. Backels came in contact with the height marker before pushing himself up high, yet not far enough, as he fell before the barrier. His final try also nudged the bar as the Mountaineer freshman's season came crashing to an end.
"Vaulting against all these great collegiate athletes is mentally tough," Newton noted. "He had a great mindset coming in. He's had an awesome season; unfortunately, [the practice crash] put a lot of pressure on his shoulder. I wasn't really sure if he had a good range of motion. One thing that was great about it was that he really wanted to compete- he wanted to get in his vaults. He didn't want to quit, and that says a lot about him as an athlete and as a character. It just wasn't his day. That injury really worked against him. But again- he just really pushed himself through some adversity."
"Overall, I was really satisfied with the season," Backels said after looking back on his year's work as a whole. "I improved tremendously from my senior year in high school to now with the help of coaches and the other staff. I was satisfied. Coming here and going through this will help me moving on, and it taught me to not change my routine."
"I think it's a great thing for the program and a great thing for everyone to see Southern Vermont College here," Newton added of her two participants making the team's DIII Championship debut. "I've had a couple of coaches that I've known through the past come up and say that it's great for us and that the program's looking good. It's great exposure for Southern Vermont. I really believe that we'll have even more athletes here next year. The future does look bright for us."
SOUTHERN VERMONT RESULTS
Men's 3000 Meter Steeplechase
Marc Brandmeyer: 5th – 9:29.82 (SR)
Men's Pole Vault
Isaiah Backels: Did not score
PR = Personal Record, SR = SVC Record