MEDFORD, Mass. – Backed by a number of personal best efforts, the UMass Dartmouth men's outdoor track and field team saw a number of competitors in action on day one of the Tufts Spring Stampede on Friday. The Corsairs also saw five D3 New England qualifying marks.
Junior
Cameron Thompson paced the way in the 1500-meters, posting a time of 3:59.68 for 11th overall. His mark was also a D3 New England Provisional qualifying mark. Sophomore
Jackson Caron posted 26th overall with a personal best time of 4:10.73, while junior
James Carriere posted 31st with a personal best time of 4:11.92.
Rookie
Jake Faria was 46th overall in the 1500m with a personal best time of 4:45.36, while senior
Cooper Blatz was 47th with a mark of 5:00.14.
In the 3,000-meter steeplechase, junior
Ronan Maloney finished 15th overall with a personal best time of 10:21.22, while the 5,000-meters was paced by senior
Ethan Sylvia, who was sixth overall with a personal best time of 15:43.97. Senior
Colin Ozturk posted ninth overall in 15:52.50 – a personal best, while rookie
Stevie MacLennan was 21st overall in 16:20.69 – also a personal best.
Also finishing strong in the 5000m was sophomore
Connor Bruni, who posted 23rd overall in 16:41.39. Sophomore
Michael Gemelli was 27th (17:04.66 – personal best) with rookies
Sean Benvissuto and
William Johnson were 28th (17:11.61) and 29th (17:24.67), respectively.
In the Friday field events, senior
Joseph Uwanogho led the way in the hammer throw, posting a mark of 52.65 meters (172' 9") for second overall. That mark was not only a season's best, but also a D3 New England Automatic qualifying mark. Rookie
Michael Gama was right behind in third, posting a personal best and D3 New England Automatic qualifying mark of 50.18 meters (164' 7").
Sophomore
Ancil Alexander took eighth overall with a throw of 47.88 meters (157' 1"), while classmate
Mickey Valentino was ninth with a mark of 45.52 meters (149' 4"). It was not only a personal best throw for Alexander, but also a D3 New England Provisional qualifying mark for both athletes.
In the javelin throw, rookie
Elijah Perez placed 13th overall with a mark of 47.83 meters (156' 11"), while classmate
Malik Escoffery was 15th with a throw of 39.62 meters (130' 0"). It also marked a personal best mark for each student-athlete.
The UMass Dartmouth men's squad returns to action on Saturday, traveling back to Tufts to continue action at the Tufts Spring Stampede. A full day of action kicks off at 10am.
