Led by sophomore Tahari James’s two first-place finishes, the Boston University’s men’s and women’s track teams performed well at this weekend’s Duke Asics Invitational Track and Field Meet, held on Friday and Saturday at Wallace Wade Stadium at Duke University in Durham, N.C.
The level of the competition at this meet was much higher compared to the Terriers’ two previous outdoor meets this season (both Snowflake Classics at Northeastern University and Tufts University). Many of the competing athletes were from Atlantic Coast Conference schools, a conference with a storied athletic history.
“We were expecting the level of competition to be much higher at this meet,” said BU coach Robyne Johnson. “And it was.”
James, the brightest star of the 30 athletes that BU sent, took the first of her two wins Friday in the triple jump, jumping 13.03 meters (42 feet, 9 inches). James beat 40 other competitors to take first in the triple jump, and her winning jump was four inches longer than the next closest leap.
Saturday, James took first again, this time dominating the long jump. Her winning jump of 6.14 meters (20 feet, 1.75 inches) bested all of the 44 competitors and was more than 11 inches longer than the best jump of the runner up.
“I knew her chances of jumping well were excellent,” Johnson said of her sophomore phenom. “She’s really lived up to my expectations and has really dedicated herself to the sport and has become a student of it.
“You can never really say you’re surprised though,” Johnson added, acknowledging the inconsistency of field events like the long and triple jump.
Although no other Terriers took first, the team still did well, notching six other top-10 finishes.
The women’s 4×400-meter relay team led the rest of the women’s team with a fifth-place finish, running the relay in 3:51.86, while the men’s 4×400 team finished seventh overall with a time of 3:15.77.
“The relays did well considering they both had to deal with injuries,” Johnson said. “Both teams had a fill-in run, both of which aren’t normally on the relay. But the fill-ins did well.”
The women’s 4×100 relay also performed well, finishing in seventh with a time of 47.72.
“The 4×100 had a bad exchange between the first and second legs,” Johnson said. “James [running the second leg] had to come to a complete stop to take the baton. But they still did well. They still managed to match their performance from last week.”
Johnson had predicted the 4×100 relay team would break the school record at this meet and wouldn’t make a similar prediction for this upcoming week.
“I’m not going to make another prediction,” she said, “but I’m expecting another good performance.”
Relay problems troubled the men as well, as the men’s 4×100-meter team was disqualified.
“Only the last two legs had ever run together before, and they were having trouble passing the baton all day,” Johnson said.
Other top finishers for the women’s team included senior Vicki Lopez, who finished 13th in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:02.61, and senior Alaina Ramsey, who placed 14th in the hammer throw with a distance of 45.42 meters (149 feet, 4 inches).
“Alaina did a good job in the hammer throw. I think she PR’ed,” Johnson said, referring to the track term of recording a personal record.
The men’s team also had its share of highlights. Senior Pete Maitland headed the men’s team, placing fifth in the javelin with a 58.23-meter throw (191 feet). Fellow javelin thrower Andy Beatman finished ninth in the event with a throw of 56.32 meters (184 feet, 9 inches).
“Pete did an excellent job and competed well,” Johnson said. “And Andy has had a total of 19 feet added onto his PR since last year. He’s been really working hard.”
Junior Matt Howard also performed well, finishing eighth in the 400-meter (48.07).