The Boston University men’s and women’s track teams broke in the new Track and Tennis Center in style this weekend with impressive performances as both teams took second place in their respective meets.
The Terrier men fell to the University of New Hampshire on Saturday by one point, 94-93. They did, however, beat Central Connecticut State University, who finished with 69 points. This meet, however, should not be used to gauge the capabilities of this team, as many cross country runners were held out of this early season ‘scrimmage’ as a training strategy.
‘This was more of a scrimmage than anything else; what I was interested in trying to do was make sure that the meet ran smoothly, and some of the younger guys got some experience on the new track,’ said BU men’s team Coach Pete Schuder. ‘We didn’t even put anybody in the right events; we’ve got a ways to go. When we come back in January is when we get serious.’
There were, however, some notable performances for the Terriers. Freshman Phil Putis won his first college race, the 800 meters, with a time of 1:57.02.
‘That was a surprise for me,’ Schuder said. ‘He is just a freshman, and that was a very good performance.’
‘I wasn’t expecting it. I was hoping just to break two [minutes],’ Putis said. ‘I just felt good, so I decided to try it and see what happened.’
Other Terrier winners included senior Liam Revell in the mile (4:16), freshman Gabe Goldman in the pole vault (4.11 meters), sophomore Jeff McAulay in the long jump (6.52 meters), and senior Mike Coronado in the shot put (14.19 meters). Freshman Troy Sexton placed second in both the 55m hurdles and the pole vault. The 4×400 meter (3:35.04) and 4×200 meter (1:29.26) relay teams also triumphed for BU.
The BU women were also successful on Friday evening. They finished second in a meet of six teams, only behind the University of Massachusetts. The Terriers had 82 points to Massachusetts’ 103. That was good enough, however, to beat New Hampshire, the University of Maine, Providence College, and Central Connecticut State.
‘I thought it went really well,’ said BU women’s team Coach Lesley Lehane. ‘All in all, I’d say it was an excellent meet for us. We had some really outstanding performances for this early in the season.’
She mentioned senior captain Lauren Warman, who easily won the 500 meter run with a time of 1:14. Senior captain Uzo Aduba was also impressive in her first 400 meter race, finishing second with a time of 57.52 seconds, which Lehane called ‘excellent for this time of year.’
Other notables included senior Andrea Stuermer, who won the pole vault at 3.65 meters coming off off-season surgery. Junior Mary Ellen Bingham won the triple jump, leaping 11.38 meters, and Pam Pierre took second in the long jump at 5.47 meters. Freshman Vicki Lopez (2nd, 500 meters, 1:18.07) and sophomore Leticia Makin (2nd, 800 meters, 2:16.76) also had impressive showings.
‘We look really good this season,’ Lehane said. ‘We’re hoping we can repeat at the conference championship, and this early season success confirms that this can happen.’
What everyone was talking about, however, was the new facility where the meets were held.
‘It’s wicked sweet, it’s the best place I’ve ever run,’ he said.
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