By PJ Wright, news staff
The Northeastern University (NU) men’s track and field captain Paul Duffey was crowned champion in the 1-mile run at the USA Track and Field New England (USATFNE) Indoor Championships on Sunday, with a season-best finish of 4:10.74.
The junior is fifth all-time on the NU indoor 1-mile performance list with a time of 4:02.10 – a mark he set last season at the Boston University Valentine Invitational.
Two other Huskies – junior Kyle Darrow in the long jump and freshman Collin Rowe in the mile – joined Duffey from the men’s side to represent their squad in events against the northeast’s top competitors.
Although he took home the title, Duffey wasn’t fully satisfied with his performance.
“I would have liked to have run faster, but that’s easier said than done,” Duffey said. “Collin Rowe and I got out to a quick start, and after two laps we were all alone up front. Running a race by yourselves is a big challenge. The final time was nothing to complain about, but there is always room for personal improvement.”
Rowe set the pace with Duffey for a while, but did not finish the event due to a calf injury.
Darrow is nursing a hamstring injury and chose not to compete with the risk of worsening it.
Although he didn’t take part in the long jump on Sunday, Duffey spoke about his respect for Darrow earlier this season.
“I look up to Kyle Darrow. The guy has a lot of talent,” Duffey said in an email to The News. “He’s on the cusp of competing at the national level. I respect his work ethic, and his devotion to training will make him a national contender one day.”
The New England Indoor Championships are next for the Huskies on Friday and Saturday, where they’ll be looking to win their second straight title. According to Duffey, the team needs to view the unit as a whole, not a cluster of individuals.
“We are going to focus on becoming a closer team,” Duffey said. “It’s easy to forget that we are family sometimes, but with events like team dinners we hope to build unbreakable bonds and create a true team heading into the New England Championships this weekend.”
Photo courtesy Jim Pierce, Northeastern Athletics.
