By Jeff Powalisz
With the competition only getting tougher for the Northeastern men’s track team, the Huskies’ standout performers continued to display their talent in Florida.
At the South Florida Invitational in Tampa, Fla. on Friday and Saturday, the Huskies fared well, being led once again by junior thrower Derek Anderson.
Anderson won the shot put with a throw of 53-11, more than three feet farther than all competitors, and then placed second in the discus (176-10), only behind Alabama’s Steven Boozer (184-04) to once again leave a mark in the Sunshine State.
“It was a good meet for us, although it was a little too cold,” said Northeastern coach Sherman Hart. “Derek had a great meet, he was first in the shot put and while it wasn’t one of his best throws, a win is a win. He was second in the discus as well. He just went out there and performed well.”
At March 20th’s Hurricane Invitational in Coral Gables, Anderson won the discus (179-06), while placing third in the shot put (57-01).
Tom Pratt placed third in the 800 at 1:54.36, faring well against a host of notable southern runners from Florida and Alabama.
Peter Jasmin, a constantly reliable sprinter, gave the team a fifth-place finish in the 110 hurdles with a 14.54 time. The close race saw him just .08 seconds behind the fourth-place finisher Marcus Siwemuke of Alabama (14.46) and .13 behind Kenny Frank of Miami (14.41).
“I’m very, very pleased with Peter Jasmin,” Hart said. “He was thrown in the 4×100 as well at the last minute, and he continues to do a great job for the men’s program.”
Football cornerback Charles Cameron continued his quick impact on the team with a sixth-place finish in the 400 hurdles, with a strong time of 55.59.
“I think Charles ran an exceptional race,” Hart said. “He was with the leader toe-to-toe at the start, and if he hadn’t been hit at the eighth hurdle, which threw him off, he could have won.”
Jasmin then re-emerged in the 4×100, where Obaro Emenike, Steve Langton, Bismark Osei and Cameron combined for a 42.43 third-place finish only behind Webber College (42.23) and Alabama (40.63).
Aaron Hill continued to provide the team with success in the pole vault, as his 15-00.25 leap tied for fifth with Dan Shaffer of Florida.
“I was hoping to do a little bit better in this meet, but we did well considering the circumstances,” Hart said. “We ran at night, which is something the team wasn’t prepared for. That is probably a first for all of my athletes. Waiting around all day until 6 p.m. threw our clocks off. Other than that, we did a great job, and the guys really went out there and went after it.”
