By P.J. Wright, news staff

Men’s track and field captain Paul Duffey was the lone competitor for the Northeastern University (NU) track and field program at the Stanford Invitational on Friday.

The junior finished the 1,500-meter run in eighth place with a time of 3:45.79, placing him sixth all-time in school history. Duffey was the first to crack the 3:46 barrier since Eric Jenkins did in 2013.

“We are exceptionally proud of Paul and how he represents and competes for the program,” head coach Cathrine Erickson told GoNU.  “He is always willing to put the team first and do whatever the coaches ask of him, and that is what made sending him to Stanford a no-brainer. He continues to work hard and earn every opportunity we put in front of him.”

Competing in the 1,500-meter event on the Cobb Track at the Stanford Invite was something Duffey had strived to do since arriving at Northeastern in 2013.

“The race was everything I was looking for. The rabbit did his job and paced it well,” said Duffey, who also holds the Husky record in the 800-meter run. “It was a clean race for me because I stayed up front and didn’t have to worry about any traffic. It was a good start to the season.”

The rest of the track and field team will travel to Amherst next weekend for the Massachusetts Leap Year Invite. A select group of Huskies will compete at the Auburn Tiger Track Classic in Alabama the same weekend.

Photo courtesy Jim Pierce, Northeastern Athletics