By David Konowitch, news correspondent
With the snow blanketing the Boston area, the Northeastern track and field team made the short trek across town to compete in the John Thomas Terrier Classic hosted by Boston University.
The two-day event opened on Friday, Jan. 30 with the women’s competition and continued on Saturday, Jan. 31 with the men’s.
In a meet filled with top-level opposition, the men’s and women’s teams both compiled seven top-10 finishes.
On the women’s side, 10 Huskies met New England Intercollegiate Amateur Athletic Association (NEICAAA) qualifying standards, including four athletes that set personal bests.
“Hitting the New England qualifying marks are our bottom line and it is what we expect from each of our athletes,” Director of Track and Field Catherine Erickson said in an email to The News. “As we compete each week, we expect this level of achievement and we strive for national-level performances from those who are breaking through on the next stage.”
Junior sprinter Camille Gooden finished sixth in the 500-meter run with a time of 1:14.86, the third fastest time in program history.
In the 5000-meter race, two Huskies set personal bests. Sophomore distance runners Lucy Young and Jordan O’Dea finished fifth and 14th overall with times of 16:35.69 and 17:01.74, respectively.
Freshman middle distance runner Corinne Myers placed 10th in the 800-meter race with a time of 2:11.53.
Junior sprinter Nicole Genard had a strong showing in the long jump, placing sixth at 5.53 meters.
Junior vaulter Jacilyn Briggs excelled in the pole vault, placing first with a personal best mark of 4.00 meters.
The Huskies fared well in the throwing events with a seventh-place finish in both the shot put and weight throw. Freshman thrower Zoe Taitel set a personal best in the shot put with a toss of 12.87 meters. Junior thrower Alexandra Rose threw 15.85 meters in the weight throw.
On the men’s side, the Northeastern team had eight athletes meet Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America (IC4A) qualifying standards.
Leading the charge on the men’s side was sophomore middle distance runner Paul Duffey, who set the Northeastern program record in the 800-meter run with a 1:48.02 finish. Duffey won the event, improving on his 1:52.83 time from Dec. 13.
“I think what Paul did is very reflective of who Paul is,” Erickson said. “Being a Husky is woven into Paul’s DNA… and he is proud to compete as a Husky every week. He does everything the coaching staff asks of him and is a hard-working, loyal athlete who is all in. Paul is just starting to realize his potential so I am sure that we will see more from him as his career unfolds.”
Senior distance runner Stephen Sollowin contributed an eighth-place finish in the one-mile run, clocking a time of 4:02.81.
Senior hurdler Jared Lane placed seventh in the 60-meter hurdles at 8.27.
The Huskies performed well in the jumps, with sophomore sprinter Kyle Darrow finishing second in the long jump with a leap of 7.29 meters, a personal best, and freshman jumper Jordan Samuels placing fourth in the triple jump at 14.42 meters. Darrow also finished 14th in the 60-meter dash with a time of 6.98.
The Huskies also had a strong showing in the shot put with three athletes finishing in the top 20. Freshman thrower Ryan Kim placed sixth with a throw of 16.23 meters, a personal best.
Redshirt senior James Hall rounded out the top-10 finishes on the men’s side with a fourth-place showing in the weight throw, throwing a personal best of 17.87 meters.
The Huskies look to continue their success when they return to action on Friday for the Harvard Fast Meet in Cambridge, and Saturday with the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center at Roxbury Community College.
Photo courtesy Jim Pierce, Northeastern Athletics
