Warm Weather Yields Solid Marks at MIT

(5/21/2012 2:19 PM) Full Results

The weather cooperated perfectly this Saturday when the Jumbos took on all-comers at MIT’s Spring Invite. The day saw some great battles and steadily improving marks as the Jumbos continued their march toward the NESCAC Championships next week.

Junior Gbola Ajayi got the day started off with a bang, winning the long jump with a mark of 6.87m. Fellow field event athletes followed suite, as the Jumbos placed three athletes in the hammer. Senior captain Adam Aronson placed 3rd in the event with a toss of 52.04m, followed closely by junior Curtis Yancy in 4th (51.05m) and sophomore Youssef Maguid (42.66m). Yancy came back in the discus to finish fourth with a toss of 44.85m. In the javelin, newcomer Matt Johnson continued to round into form with a fourth-place throw of 51.35m.

On the track, the Jumbos kept the momentum rolling. The mid distance squad delivered big, placing three athletes in the 1500m. Senior Jeff Prescott ran an impressive PR of 4:02.48 for second, while junior Adam Brosh raced to a season best third-place mark of 4:04.71 and frosh Joseph St. Pierre closed hard for two points in 4:06.95. Coming back from injury, junior Liam Cassidy showed his raw talent by running a solid 4:08.36.

In one of the highlight races of the day, two Jumbos dipped under the 1:55 mark in the 800. Freshman Evan Cover finished second, edging out teammate Bobby McShane 1:54.41-1:54.64. The two add amazing depth to the mid-distance squad and could make a huge impact on championship meet relays. Closing out the distance events, Junior Tyler Andrews raced the 5k in brutal heat. His dominant last lap destroyed the field for the win. Andrew’s kick will come in handy as he takes on some of the best 10k runners in the country at next week’s conference championships.

The sprint squad capitalized on the hot weather to run some blistering times. Sophomore Dan Lange Vagle and junior Vinnie Lee tied for fourth in the 100, each running 11.20. Lee came back to help the 4x100m relay run to victory with a time of 43.27. He was joined by Ajayi, freshman Francis Goins, and sophomore Graham Beutler. The sprint squad closed the day on a positive note, running 3:29.38 to win the 4x400m.

Overall, the Jumbos showed huge signs of improvement and, most importantly, competed with heart until the end. The squad showed they were ready to take on the best in the conference at the NESCAC Championships next Saturday.


Full Results