Jumbos Send Relay Squads to IC4A's

(3/14/2012 12:31 PM)

On the weekend of the ECAC Championships, a contingent of Jumbos ventured back to Boston University’s track to compete at the Division 1 IC4A meet. The team sent two relay squads to the elite meet to take advantage of the stellar competition.

The 4x400 meter relay squad went into the meet with the goal of qualifying for the DIII Indoor National Championships the following week. The young group had turned in fast times throughout the indoor season and were turning heads across New England. In a loaded field of DI powerhouses, they delivered once again. Junior Vinnie Lee lead off for the Jumbos and put the team in a great position with a solid 49.8 around a crowded track. Lee handed off to senior Ben Crastnopol, who turned in a PR performance of 48.9, his first time under the 49-second barrier. Freshman Francis Goins kept the team’s Nationals hopes alive with a 49.2 split, while sophomore Graham Beutler brought them home in 48.1. The squad smashed their own school record, combining as a team to run 3:16.36. The squad missed qualifying for nationals by only .02 seconds, but they set themselves up for even loftier achievements once they hit the outdoor oval.

The Jumbos also raced a developmental DMR team of rising talents. Senior Jeff Prescott ran the 1200m in 3:05.4 to put an emphatic exclamation point on a breakout season. Freshman Aaron Roseman turned in a 52.1 400m, while classmate Alex Sheltzer split 1:59.2 for the 800m. Junior All-American 10k runner Matt Rand tried his hand at the 1600m leg of the DMR and hit the ground running. He anchored the squad with a respectable 4:16.1. Rand’s debut DMR earned him a spot on the DMR racing at Nationals the next week.

All in all, the Jumbos capitalized on a great chance to set some fast times. They set themselves up well for the National meet and set the stage for a record breaking outdoor season.