Steps Forward at Skyhawk Invitational
(5/21/2012 2:12 PM) Full ResultsThis weekend, most of the squad traveled 45 minutes to Stonehill College in North Easton, MA for the Skyhawk Invitational. (The Jumbo multis stayed home for the Tufts Decathlon.)
Early in the day, freshman Joe Poupard and sophomore Brandon Wheeler both set PRs in the 10,000m of 33:14.28 and 33:23.93, respectively. They both qualified for the NESCAC and New England championships.
Shortly after was the 1500m, one of the strongest events of the day for Tufts. Twelve Jumbos in total toed the line on the back stretch, many coming away with season- and lifetime bests. Leading the charge was sophomore Darryl Varney, who ran an impressive 4:02.73. After missing time for injury in the fall, Varney has shined throughout indoor and outdoor as he returns to form. Close on his heels were sophomore Bobby McShane (4:03.00) and senior Jeff Prescott (4:04.39), who both set new PRs. Sophomore Jake McCauley ran a strong race from the second section to finish second in 4:07.73, with freshman half-miler Evan Cover tenths back in 4:08.14. After a middle 800 where he lost contact with the lead pack, Cover showed off his speed with a 43-second close over the last 300m.
In the 400m, freshman Francis Goins and senior Ben Crastnopol finished 2-3 in 50.37 and 50.69, respectively. Both doubled back in the 200m and were joined by junior Vinnie Lee (22.76) and sophomore Graham Beutler (22.97). Frosh Ptah Osayande nabbed a second spot of his own in the 400m hurdles with his 56.72.
Junior Brad Nakanishi grabbed one of three victories for the Jumbos in the vault with a winning jump of 15-3 (4.65m). Backing him up were sophomores Trevor Rothaus (14-3.25) and David Sutherland (13-9.25). Gbola Ajayi grabbed eight points in the long jump with a leap of 6.82m and came back to get the W in the triple (14.03m), a season best.
Across the track, freshman Brian Williamson snagged two points in the discus to go with his third-place shot put finish, while junior Curtis Yancy put up 10 points in the hammer with a winning mark of 167-4. Senior captain Adam Aronson added a fifth spot (154-2) for one of the Jumbos strongest events of the day.
Rounding out the day, sophomores Andrew Shapero and Liam Cassidy, both of whom competed at cross county nationals in the fall, continued to progress with season bests of 15:23.97 and 15:29.06 in the 5k. In the 4x800m, Jeff Prescott, Darryl Varney, Adam Brosh, and Brian McLaughlin, all doubling back from the 1500m, put together a respectable 8:02.62 for second place.
Full Results