By Jason Richland
The up-and-down ride for Husky men’s track continues.
Despite grabbing a first-place finish in just one event, the men’s track team managed to take third place with 82.5 points at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Boston Friday.
“It is all about what team shows up,” said NU coach Sherman Hart. “Am I going to get the extraordinarily competitive team that can go after anyone or am I going to get the other one?”
Senior Idris Payne totaled 14 points with a second-place finish (48.20) in the 400-meter dash and a third-place finish (22.07) in the 200-meter dash.
“I was most disappointed with Idris [Payne],” Hart said. “He didn’t come with his head on right. I absolutely think he should have won those two events.”
NU’s lone victory came in the pole vault where senior Michael Couch took the top honors with a vault of 4.72 meters for 10 points and junior Aaron Hill finished second (4.41) for eight points.
Junior Isiah Grigg finished second in the long jump (7.00) for eight points and senior Steve Langton finished fourth (6.77) for five points.
“My pole-vaulters did a really nice job in terms of performing and I thought the long jumpers and hurdlers really stepped up,” Hart said. “A lot of those athletes were injured. If we can keep them going in the right direction and injury-free, we can be in the thick of it in the America East as well as the New Englands.”
Freshman Luis Moreira finished fifth (7.70) for four points in the 55-meter hurdle and senior Charles Cameron finished sixth (7.71) for three points. Moreira finished first in the preliminary event of the hurdles.
“[Moreira] is still learning. This is his first collegiate meet,” Hart said. “I am slightly disappointed, but that might piss him off, so I feel bad for everybody else. He won’t stay down there. He will advance to a higher level. That won’t happen too many other times this season.”
The Huskies were outscored by the University of Rhode Island (104.5) and the University of Albany (93).
“Each week they get a little better,” Hart said. “It is never quite enough for me, but as long as we are going in the right direction I am fine with that. If I can keep them progressing, then by championship time we can be in top form. Ultimately, my goal is having the best team performing in the final meets.”
Langton grabbed six points for his third-place finish (6.56) in the 55-meter dash and freshman Jonathan Watkins earned four points for his fifth place finish (6.62).
In the high jump sophomore Conrad Dalton finished fifth (1.93) for four points and freshman Jack Sherman finished sixth (1.93) for three points. Dalton grabbed second place (1:05.52) in the 500-meter dash for eight points.
In the distance medley, freshman Tom Brown, junior Tom Pratt and sophomores Jose Fernandez and Christian Tirella combined to finish eighth (10:46.15) for one point. Pratt also took fifth in the 1,000-meter run (2:32.93) for four points.
“They ran better,” Hart said. “No one is going to remember what happens in the past if they can get to the top of the conference. You only remember the last few meets.”
The Huskies next track meet is a two-day event beginning Friday at the New Balance Armory Collegiate Invitational in New York, N.Y, but only six athletes are going to the invitational. Most of the team will be at Boston University at the seven-way meet hosted by the Terriers on Saturday.
“They don’t have the confidence,” Hart said. “The guys are still feeling their way. This is when they still can do that. When all is said and done we will be ok in the end.”
