Northeastern University Twilight Track & Field Series

Now a staple of the National track scene, the Northeastern Twilight Track & Field Series began in 1988 and plays to rave reviews. The reason they got started was quite simple; leading up to the 1988 US Olympic Trials, there were simply no events in the northeast where local athletes could run fast in good conditions and attempt to make the Trials qualifying standards.

A winter meeting including track fanatics Bill Clark, coach Bob Sevene, Steve Vaitones, pieced the plan together, and with the cooperation of Northeastern coach Mark Lech and support of Nike Boston, the first series of four meets was established. Access to quality track facilities in the region are somewhat limited, and choices for the optimum site was limited. Doing some homework, Sev found that any wind at Northeastern dies down at 7pm, the sun ducks below the pines which rim the backstretch, ideal conditions for the seeded sections to go to the starting line.

The format has only altered a bit over the years. An hour or so of all comers events gives everyone a chance to participate, and creates a ready-made audience for the following feature distance races.

Generally set up with pacesetters, the later events produce results and are always a threat to earn many athletes entrance to USA Senior and Junior or NCAA championships (and the ocassional foreign event). The meets have always had a reputation for accurate seeding.
Coordinators are armed with stats lists and the rule is simple; prove you've run your seed time this year, or run fast to prove the clerks wrong. Fast times will move an athlete up the next week, slow times will drop them down a section. Recently one athlete used the same seed time each week, moving from section one down to section four throught the series.
By the same token, the fact that the meets were started for New England post-collegiate athletes has not been lost. The club runner gets precedence over the collegian who generally has far more opportunities to compete over a year, and the local runner "on the bubble" or truly ready for a fast time will get the nod over others.

Athletes come from around the country to run fast times, and if they're ready, the competition will be on the line with them. Despite the need for more such circuits in the USA, for any event grouping, no clones have got started since. Thus the weekly results from the Northeastern Twilight series are eagerly anticipated by track buffs around the country looking to update their performance lists.

After a dip in participation in the early 1990's, the meets are now back to fields of 150-200 contestants a week. The current management team of Northeastern coach Mark Lech, New Balance coordinator John Evans (1:47.88 in the first meet held), Sevene, and Vaitones, with the cooperation of the Northeastern University field staff and the assistance of the local USATF board and dedicated volunteer officials produce a mini-series that gives New England a chance to see and race a meaningful track season, still at the economical $5 entry fee. When the sun goes down, the stars come out at the Northeastern Twilight series.

A trip through the results archives:
1988 With primarily feature sections, seven men make the Olympic Trials standard in the 2nd meet of the series inclding local aces Greg Meyer and Dan Dillon; Leslie Lehane getting both the 1500 and 3000 marks in the same meet. Large or small fiels, the quality is evident from the first gun. Meet #3 still holds the top 5000 field in New England history - 16 runners under 14:00. Lehane leads 8 under the women's 10,000 standard runs a solo 31:42.8, top 10 all-time, with sister Lisa 2nd in 33:01.5.
1989 Fourteen under fourteen at 5000, with Greg Lautenslager taking a photo finish win over Mark Coogan, 13:38.51 to 13:38.54. The future Mrs. Coogan, Gwyn Hardesty, wins the women's equivalent in 16:02.16. Coogan later becomes the first Massachusetts native to run under 4:00 in their home state, but just barely ahead of Brad Schlapak, 3:58.81 to 3:59.91. Also the first time two runners broke 4:00 in the Bay State since the pro circuit meet in the 1970's
1990 Cathy O'Brien takes the 10,000 in 33:32. Current US star Regina Jacobs, in Boston for the year, posts modest times of 57.3 and 2:10. Four runners in 2/10ths in the feature 1500, led by John Gregorek. John Doherty beats John Treacy 7:51.6 to 8:01.6 in the 3000.
1991Torrential downpours at #2 makes the waterjump superfluous in the steeplechase. Gorden Sanders establishes the still standing 10,000 meet mark of 28:22.98, 2 seconds ahead of Bob Kempainen. Meet #3 finds Gregorek the first of four under 4:00 for the mile.
1992Another Trials year. Lynn Jennings edges Judi St.Hillaire 9:04.49 to 9:05.72, Lesley Lehane follows with a solo 9:03.56. Eventual World Cross Country champion Sonia O'Sullivan ultimately sets meet record of 8:55.30. Joan Benoit Samuelson tours 10,000 meters in 33:21.7, a provisional Trials qualifier, but a mere 1.7 seconds from the goal of an "A" time; Gwyn Coogan wins in a creditable 32:27.5. John Walker ups the hammer record to 224'6".
1993Pacesetting is available at all levels. Needing a qualifying time for the World Championships, John Gregorek races under the required mark with his 13:27.2 with early help from John Doherty. Gina Procaccio beats her former Villanova roomate Kathy Franey over 3000, 8:58.80 to 9:01.98.
1994Designated an "Olympic development" event by USATF, the women's 5000 is won in 15:54.23. Karim Saunders twice breaks the meet record for 200 - 21.19 and then 21.11 - and Liz Legault spins to a meet mark in the hammer, 179'3".
1995Sixty qualifying marks for a variety of National championships are recorded by the athletes. Mark Carroll stops the clock at a world class 7:50.05 for 3000 meters. Led by David Strang, four runners beat 1:48.00 in the 800. Erik Nedeau establishes meet mark of 3:39.16 in the 1500. The women's pole vault, just getting off the ground in the US, finds three over 10'2" in one meet.
1996Cathy O'Brien and Maria Servin stage a race long battle over 10,000 meters. Times of 32:43.0 and 32:45.8 are "hand" given that dim security lights provide the only illumination around the oval; fans define the track borders, cheering from lanes three and four. Mike Mykytok and Joe Lemay stage a similar challenge in week one, though with more light, as 12 men go under 30:00. Jane Arnold clicks a US 800 best for women 55-59, 2:30.51. Earning tickets to the Trials, Erik Clinton bounds 53'3 3/4" in th e triple jump and Adam Nelson tosses the shot put 62'9 1/2".
1997Jumping in with his elders, Jonathan Riley moves up on the shoulder of Mark Carroll in the final lap and holds on to turn in the #2 junior time ever (behind Jim Ryun) for 1500 meters. John Walker and Mike Walsh boom big tosses in the hammer and discus, respectively.
1998Uta Pippig, visiting Boston, wins the 5000 in 15:51.03, while Bryan Woodward rocks a record 1:46.63 at 800. Fifty-four runners run two sections of the 5000, 32 of them under 15:00. Exemplifying the idea of the Twilight Series, Jen Lincoln wins two 800's at 2:06 and sets a big PR at 2:04.53 behind recent US champion Kathy Rounds to qualify for US nationals. Christina Amarsekera of Sri Lanka needs a Commonwealth Games qualifier and tosses the women's javelin 163'1". Andy Powell turns in the nation's top HS 1500 time. Initially scheduled as the USATF-NE championship meet, rain nearly washes out the series finale; good times came for those who waited.

This past year's races served as a prelude to the new Can Am series, which is bred of the same philosophy - provide opportunities post-USA championships for athletes who are fit and want to run fast.

See you May 22 for the first of the '99 series!

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