By James Eddy II
The men’s and women’s track team made its presence known in both meets they competed in this weekend, with three women closing in on Husky records.
The Huskies had most of their team compete in Florida at the Pepsi Florida Relays, while the remainder of the team stayed in Massachusetts to compete in the Stonehill Invitational.
At the Stonehill Invitation, the men’s team finished in sixth place. The Huskies put forth a good effort in the field events, despite having some of their athletes competing in Florida. The Huskies had a total of six top three finishes, with senior Ian Anderson finishing first in the discus. Freshman Pablo Rodriguez edged out teammate freshman Brian Daly to take second in the pole vault. Not to be outdone by his teammates, freshman Andrew Staples took second in the high jump while senior Mark McBrine finished second in the discus. Senior Anthony Halpern finished third in the hammer throw.
The women’s team took home seventh place at the Stonehill Invitational. The Huskies had four third place finishes. Sophomore Serena Allen finished third in the 100-meter with fellow sophomore Erin Johnson taking third in the 400-meter. Sophomore Lauren Roscus finished third in both the triple and long jumps.
The Huskies faced tough competition in Florida at the Pepsi Florida Relays. This event hosted a number of top colleges, and track athletes with corporate sponsors. The Huskies did not have many top three finishes, but they competed strongly, posting competitive times.
Head coach Sherman Hart expressed excitement in the tenacity his team showed in facing higher competition.
“It’s an Olympic year so I expect a lot of people to enter to try and post Olympic qualifying times,” he said. “We have a young team, and now they have been to Florida twice and seen big guns before conference.”
Senior captain Tramaine Shaw expressed similar sentiments, and said it wasn’t that big of a deal to compete against professional and potential Olympic athletes.
“The meet was good and everyone is happy to get it good and over with,” she said. “It was worth it, and I think it will make us ready for conferences.”
Hart said he was impressed by his athletes’ performance in the field. Senior Ed Reardon led the Huskies by finishing second in the discus. However, the field events were shortened due to inclement weather.
The meet culminated with Shaw and freshman teammate Porshe Giddings posting times good enough to qualify for the regional championship. Shaw missed breaking her school record 100-meter time by six hundredths of a second. Giddings competed in her 200-meter race with a mild strain.
Hart said that barring injury the team should be ready for upcoming conference tournament.
The Huskies take the tract next at home when they host the Bernard Solomon Invitational Saturday April 12 at 10 a.m.
