Records were broken, awards were received and athletes were sent to nationals — all by the Boston University women’s track and field team. The men, however, did not enjoy the same success.
The women tied Boston College for sixth place in the Eastern College Atlantic Conference Championship March 8-9, registering 12 points. Senior Andrea Walkonen finished third in the 5000m, earning a provisional NCAA qualification with a time of 16:38.02. Senior Anne Wighton took seventh in the 1000m with a time of 2:52.52, while sophomore Whitney Ford placed 12th in the 60m (7.70).
BU coach Robyne Johnson was very impressed with Ford’s performance.
“She has reached personal records in every indoor event and is a strong individual who knows how to peak strong,” Johnson said. “She knows how to rise to the occasion and I fully expect her to go to the NCAAs next year.”
Senior Tahari James placed 15th in the 60m (7.75), while finishing third in the long jump with a 5.99-meter leap.
The men finished 43rd, scoring two points to tie the University of Pennsylvania and Marist College.
In BU’s men’s second-to-last place effort, freshman Joel Senick placed fourth in the 400m with a time of 48.32 and sophomore Jan Bicanic finished 19th in the shot put, throwing for 14.91 meters.
Johnson hopes for better results next year.
“We have a very good recruiting class and have four guys coming in who will really make a difference,” Johnson said. “[Senior] David Proctor will be back, who was ranked second in the nation, and he — with other recruits — should really make a marked improvement and put up some points.”
Also over the break, senior Marisa Ryan was named the Top Northeastern Women’s Indoor Track Athlete by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. The honor was well deserved for Ryan, who qualified for nationals after being named Athlete of the Meet for the conference championship.
“I’m thrilled,” Johnson said. “She’s very deserving and worked very hard. She has beat several personal records and a school record.”
Ryan and James also competed in the NCAA Championship meet held in Fayetteville, Ark. this past weekend. Ryan placed fifth in the 3000m with a time of 9:12.83, and James took sixth place in the triple jump with a distance of 13.42. Both athletes notched personal bests at the meet.
The Terriers placed 29th at the NCAAs, tying West Virginia University, Georgia Tech University and the University of Arkansas.
Both Ryan and James earned spots on the All-American team with their respective performances, and Johnson couldn’t be happier.
“Each did phenomenal. Marisa has always been hard working,” Johnson said. “It really does not get much better than that. As for Tahari, she hit her third jump with a personal record. She simply rose to the occasion. Both Tahari and Marisa made it in the Top Ten, which is just amazing.”
James has broken her personal record in the triple jump three times this season, increasing her jump by over a meter since the beginning of the year (12.14 to 13.42).
“She just keeps working,” Johnson said. “She listens to the cues, and keeps getting better. She had pretty good records in the first place, making it to nationals, but really rose to the occasion once she was there.”
Both athletes will return next year. Ryan has one more indoor season left, while James has one more outdoor season.