Spring Break
Men's, women's track just miss top finishes at Atlantic 10 championship
Kyle Towne
Issue date: 2/24/09 Section: Sports
|
Every team in the conference participated in the meet, filling up Mackal Field House Friday and Saturday afternoons.
The men's team finished with 152 points, earning second place behind Charlotte University, who finished with 218.
"It was a great meet," men's assistant coach Kyle Poland said. "We scored higher than we expected."
Junior James Whalen gave the Rams a strong performance in the field, winning the heptathlon. With his performance, Whalen earned 2009 Field Performer of the Year honors.
Sophomore David Kennedy defended his crown in the 500-meter run, winning with a time of 1:04.10 in a very close race. Kennedy also competed in the 200-meter dash and was a member of the 4x400 team, finishing eighth and fifth respectively.
"It was a slow start to the season," Poland said. "We planned to peak at A-10s and New Englands and that's what we are doing."
Finishing right behind Kennedy in the 500-meter run was sophomore Nick Sanborn with a time of 1:04.27 to finish second.
"We came together as a team at the perfect time," Poland said.
In the shot put, junior Tyler Adams finished first with his toss of 52 feet 5.5 inches. The throw qualified Adams for IC4A championships, and was also a season-best. Sophomore Jacob Keeling also helped out with his third-place throw of 51 feet 9 inches.
Junior Michael Elliot took first place in the high jump with a season-best jump of 6 feet 10.25 inches, qualifying him for IC4A championships. Behind him was senior Shawn Leonard who finished third with a leap of 6 feet 6.25 inches.
"We competed well in every event," Poland said. "From top to bottom, we were up there for each event."
The team's second place finish served as the second consecutive season that URI has finished runner-up. Since 2001, the Rams have finished as one of the top two teams every year.
The women's team finished with 106 points, finishing third behind Charlotte's 175 and Dayton's 139.
