By Mick Kowaleski ’14
The track and field team started off the season on a high note during the Lafayette seven-way Invitational at theMetzgar Athletic Complex.
The men, led by sophomore Juannell Riley’s first place hammer throw (166’6”) scored 86.50 points to take third out of eight competing teams. They placed behind only Rider and East Stroudsburg, and bested Patriot League rival Lehigh, who took fifth.
The men had a good day. Junior Mac Maguire placed behind Riley in the hammer throw with a toss of 165’7”, and placed forth in the shot put (42’4.75”).
Freshman Colton Mitchell took second in the pole vault (14’9.25”), a finish that was mirrored by many other athletes. Fellow silver medalists included Nick Carboni ‘13 in the long jump (21’2”) and Jarrel Bobb ‘16 in the triple jump (46’9.5”).Bobb’s finish set a new personal record and places him ninth in school history.
Senior Ryan McVeigh and junior Neil Franzese placed third and fourth in the 400-meter hurdles with 55.36 and 55.70 respective times. The 4×100 meter relay team also placed third, with Bobb, David Robinson ‘14, Jordan Roses ‘16, and Nick Hepp ‘13 combining for a 41.86 time.
The women outdid the men, scoring 105 points en route to securing a second-place finish out of nine squads. Rider was the only team to top the Leopards, and Lehigh again came in fifth.
Junior star Rachel Pena paced the Leopards with two first place finishes, both in the shot put (42’1.25”) and the hammer throw (181’11”). She backed up the two first-place finishes with a second place in the discus (122’1”), losing only to fellow Leopard Gwen Steckel ‘13, who bested her teammate with a 138’1” toss.
Freshman Devin Smith is continuing her stellar rookie season, snagging first place in the 400-meter dash with a 56.86 time. She earned the Patriot League Rookie of the Week award for her efforts.
Smith missed the ECAC time by less than a second. Her dash was the second-fastest in Lafayette history. Smith also led Lafayette to a first-place finish in the 4×400 relay (3:54.07) and second place in the 4×100 (48.49)
Lafayette will try to continue their early-season success Saturday at the Lehigh Dual meet in Easton. The meet kicks off at 11:30 a.m.