By P.J. Wright, news staff
The Northeastern University (NU) track programs trekked over to Boston University (BU) for the John Thomas Terrier Classic last weekend, building on the squads’ early season momentum with two strong days.
The women’s program put together five top-10 performances on Friday, and the men picked up from there with six top-10 finishes on Saturday.
Senior Jacilyn Briggs, who ranks second all-time among Huskies in the indoor pole vault (4.00 meters), placed third in the event with a mark of 3.90 meters, a season best.
Freshman Katie Hanlon ran the 500-meter dash in 1:15.60, good for 11th place in the meet and sixth on the NU indoor all-time performance list.
Sophomore Brooke Wojesk and freshman Patrice Williams also had a successful weekend. Wojeski finished 23rd in the 3000-meter run at 9:52.02 and Williams finished the 400-meter dash in 56:02, placing her in 17th for the meet and fifth on the all-time NU performance list.
On the men’s side, senior Paul Duffey continued his impressive season, notching his second-best personal mark in the 800-meter run with 1:48.62, and earning third place.
Sophomore Ryan Kim threw 16.37 meters in the shotput, which earned him seventh place out of 59 throwers, and sophomore Eric Mullusi was not far behind in ninth place, throwing a new personal best of 15.76 meters.
Freshman Shawn Bleichert placed 10th out of 69 competitors in the 60-meter hurdles with an 8.24 second finish. The performance earned him Rookie of the Week honors by the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC), his second weekly nod.
“It only increases my motivation to perform better at future meets,” Bleichert said in an email to The News. “I owe my early success in the season to my motivational drive that keeps pushing me to train and compete to the best of my abilities.”
Bleichert, in his first season with the Red and Black, has proven to be an integral part of a team that’s looking for its second straight New England title. He currently sits fifth on NU’s indoor all-time performance list with 8.16 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles, which he set during the Jay Carisella Invitational in December.
The freshman speedster said that he looks to team captain Donovan Henry – who finished 58th in the 400-meter dash on Saturday – as motivation.
“His skill, determination and mindset are only comparative to some and I hope I can eventually be as hard-working as he is,” Bleichert said.
The Husky track programs head to Harvard University’s Crimson Elite for their next meet on Friday, Feb. 5 in Cambridge before returning to BU for the Scarlet and White Invitational on Saturday, Feb. 6.
Photo courtesy Jim Pierce, Northeastern Athletics
