Spring Break
Men's track and field earns high marks at URI Invitational meet
Kyle Towne
Issue date: 2/6/09 Section: Sports
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"I felt like the meet went very well for the entire team," freshman Mike Lynch said.
The meet featured teams from Bryant University, Providence College, Rhode Island College and Quinnipiac University, and was a non-team scoring meet.
Leading the way for the Rams was junior Derek Peterson, who won both the shot put and the weight throw. Peterson's throw in the weight topped his personal record by three feet and also qualified him for both New England and IC4A Championships.
Sophomore Shunzaburo Kida won the pole vault for the Rams, tying his personal best at 15 feet 9 inches. Freshman Greg Dean topped the competition in the high jump, finishing as the first of five Rams that rounded out the top five. Freshman Andrew Reigstad won the long jump for URI with a leap of 21 feet 8 inches.
"There weren't many surprises," Lynch said. "We knew what we could do and we got the job done."
Senior Jeffrey Martins won the 200-meter dash, recording a time of 22.6 seconds. Martins also finished third place in the 55-meter dash with a time of 6.63. With his time in the 200-meter dash, Martins qualified for the New England Championships.
In the 55-meter hurtles, senior Alex Reid beat the competition by more than two tenths of a second. The first place showing qualified him for the New England Championships. Junior Brian Alexander finished second place in the race.
"The upper classmen are setting a great example for us younger guys," Lynch said. "They are really pushing us to do our best."
The 4X400-meter relay team, consisting of Alexander, sophomore Cameron Cormier, sophomore Manuel Richards and sophomore David Kennedy, finished in second place behind Bryant's team.
In the 800, sophomore Daniel Shears and freshman Nate Wigton finished second and third, respectively.
Freshman Pat Porteus finished fourth in the 400-meter dash for the Rams, finishing fewer than two seconds behind the leader.
The Rams also flexed their muscles in the distance category, as junior Nathan Ruchames won the 1,000-meter run and freshman Michael Pezzullo finished second in the 3,000.
The distance-medley team finished second place with a team consisting of Porteus, Lynch, sophomore Nick Sanborn and sophomore Justin Ellison.
"We are really coming together as a team as we prepare for A10's," Lynch said.
URI's next meets are tomorrow and Saturday, when the team travels to New York to compete in the New Balance games.
"We are going to New York ...Friday," Lynch said. "It is going to be a great experience for me and the other underclassmen."
