Track Teams Begin Outdoor Season In Strong Fashion

Saturday, March 30

Dedham, MA

TBA

Boston College

Cohen Husky Open

Track Teams Begin Outdoor Season In Strong Fashion

March 31, 2002 | Men's Track & Field

March 31, 2002

DEDHAM, Mass. - The Boston College women's and men's track and field teams kicked off the 2002 outdoor season Saturday afternoon when they competed in the Husky Spring Open at Solomon Track, which is the home of the Northeastern University track teams.

While this was a non-scoring meet, several athletes on both the women's and men's sides had positive results. For the women, senior Zoey O'Sullivan (Auburn, Maine) and junior Nicolette Pogue (San Jose, Calif.) kicked things off by finishing 1-2 in the 100-meter dash. O'Sullivan finished with a time of 12.84, while Pogue turned in a time of 13 seconds flat in the 27 participant event. Pogue came back later and took first place in the triple jump, finishing with a mark of 35'11.50. Sophomore Allison Castaldi (Marblehead, Mass.) placed second in the triple jump with a leap of 34'02.00".

Freshman Melissa Sherman (Dennis, Mass.) began her outdoor season in winning fashion by winning the 800-meter run, finishing with a time of 2:19.67. Sherman's win came against 36 other competitors. Junior Maggie Guiney (Middletown, N.J.) and sophomores Julie Spolidoro (Duxbury, Mass.) and Jennifer Donovan (Melville, N.Y.) competed in the 1,500-meter run and finished 1-2-3, respectively. Guiney edged out Spolidoro by 60 one-hundredths of a second (4:35.38 to 4:35.98). Donovan completed the event with a time of 4:47.82.

In the 100-meter high hurdles, freshman Liz Hassan (Whitman, Mass.) and sophomore Julie Heyde (Natick, Mass.) finished second and third, respectively. Hassan finished with a time of 15.16, while Heyde was just behind with a 15.68. Heyde also placed third in the high jump, turning in a mark of 5'01.75.

Junior Megan Kearney (North Canton, Conn.) earned first-place honors in the discus throw, as she eased by the competition with a throw of 131'08.00". Freshman Megan Mara (Avon, Conn.) turned in jump of 11'00.00" in the pole vault, which was good enough for second place.

The men's squad also had several strong individual performances on Saturday. Freshmen Ashley Jefferson (Newton, Mass.) earned a runner-up finish in the long jump, as he finished with a leap of 21 feet flat. Sophomore Keith Normant (Needham, Mass.) placed third in the triple jump with a mark of 42'04.75.

Senior Colin Wolfe (Westmont, Ill.) and sophomore Byron Gartrell (Franklin, Mass.) both placed third in their respective events. Wolfe had a strong showing in the grueling 5,000-meter run, turning in a time of 15:07.81. Gartrell placed third, out of 69 participants, in the 1,500-meter run, as he turned in a time of 4:01.15. In the 5,000-meter run, junior Matthew Kootman (Middletown, N.J.) was just a little behind Wolfe with a time of 15:29.27, which was good enough for eighth place.

Senior Tony Beirne (Lake Forest, Ill.) had a busy afternoon for the Eagles, as he competed in three field events. He placed fifth in the shot put and discus throw, finishing with marks of 47'03.75" and 148'03.00", respectively. He also placed in the hammer throw, finishing with a toss of 151'09.00".

Senior Michael McKenzie and junior Vernon Mickle placed 13th and 14th, respectively, in the 400-meter dash. McKenzie finished with a time of 51.31, while Mickle was just behind with a time of 51.47 in the 54-competitor event.

The track teams are back in action Friday and Saturday, April 5-6, at the Duke Invitational in Durham, N.C. Also, some members of both teams will be competing at the Southern Connecticut St. Invitational in New Haven, Conn. on April 6.