The Boston University men’s and women’s track and field teams proved this weekend that Valentine’s Day can be about more than going on a romantic date.
The Terriers hosted the BU Valentine Invitational last Friday and Saturday with more than 20 teams from around the country competing, and both sides turned out impressive performances.
For the men, three Terriers highlighted the day by qualifying for the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) finals, which will be hosted at BU’s Track and Tennis Center on March 7 and 8.
The three racers were sophomore Ken Haltom — who qualified in the 1,000-meter run with a time of 2 minutes, 28.97 seconds to finish 14th — junior Jeff Moreau and freshman Balint Horvath, both of whom qualified in the 800-meter run, with Moreau finishing in 1 minute, 52.45 seconds and Horvath in 1:52.54 to finish eighth and ninth.
Three other Terriers competed in the 800-meter, with freshmen Billy Whelan and Colin Lee finishing in 1:58.66 and 1:58.84 to place 65th and 66th, respectively. Sophomore James Weider ended 93rd in 2:00.51.
In the shorter races, senior Jason Nardella placed sixth in the 55-meter hurdles, with his best time of 7.82 seconds. Senior David Barth placed 71st in the 55-meter dash in 6.98 seconds. For the 200-meter dash, junior Max Esposito raced in 22.38 seconds to finish 31st, freshman Matt Pereira finished 39th in 22.45, freshman Kedzie Teller placed 59th in 22.85 and senior Kodjo Wilder ended in 23.01 to place 70th.
Junior Mark Mazzochette also finished 70th with a time of 50.92 seconds in the 400-meter dash.
In the field, Pereira also competed in the high jump, clearing 1.83 meters to tie for 11th place. Wilder jumped 6.75 meters to place seventh in the long jump. Freshman Justin Maes cleared 4.11 meters in the pole vault to earn 12th place, and junior Jordan Cumper finish 17th in the same event, jumping 3.81 meters. Sophomore Dan Withrow was the Terriers’ lone shot-putter, throwing 15.43 meters to place sixth.
For the women, freshman Shelby Walton led the way by winning the 55-meter dash in 7.09 seconds in a field of 79. Also in the 55m, senior Erin Catarius ran in 7.22 and junior Whitney Ford finished in 7.24 to place fifth and sixth, respectively.
Senior Edwina Clark finished second in the long jump event, leaping 5.68 meters. Senior Alyssa Fanucci finished 10th in the same event with a jump of 5.29m. The 4×400-meter relay team also finished second, with an ECAC-qualifying time of 3 minutes, 52.36 seconds. Clark and Walton both earned honors for America East Women’s Track and Field Performers of the Week.
In the 200-meter dash, Ford finished in 10th with a time of 25.16 seconds, while freshman Jackie Dim placed 16th in 25.35 and sophomore Amanda Howard was 33rd in 25.95. Sophomore Alex Jackson placed 37th in 26.03, and Fanucci ended in 75th in 26.83 in a field of 162 racers.
Senior Becky Marshburn had a solid day, placing 10th in the 400-meter dash, finishing in 57.07 seconds, and 19th in the 55m hurdles in 8.77. Freshman Breanne Parhiala placed 37th in the hurdles with a time of 9.20.
In the field, sophomore Karly Neveu tied for fourth in the high jump with her season-best jump of 1.68 meters. In the pole vault, junior Fiona Romeri cleared 3.20m to finish 11th, freshman Aly Rofrano jumped 3.05m to tie for 14th, and freshman Adwoa Hanson-Hall tied for 20th with a mark of 2.75m.
The Terriers are back in action this weekend, with the women defending their conference title at the America East Championship on Friday and Saturday at the Track and Tennis Center.
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