Sports, Track and Field

Track and Field athletes find success in multiple weekend meets

The Boston University track and field team participated in multiple meets across the nation over the weekend, and a few familiar names once again claimed the spotlight.

The men’s 4x200m relay, consisting of graduate student Zachary Ray, senior R.J. Page, freshman David Lagerberg and senior Tewado Latty, broke the school record with a time of 1:24.24 at the Texas Relays in Austin, Texas, good enough for fourth place overall. Their time was more than a second better than the previous mark, set in 2012 (1:25.59).

This same group of Terriers broke the 4x400m relay school record during indoor season.

“They do work really well together,” said BU director of track and field Robyne Johnson. “We’re really happy to see that they were able to gel. They’ve done an amazing job, and they’ve been good teammates to each other, and I couldn’t be happier.”

Individually, Ray finished fifth in the 400m hurdles, posting a time of 51.75 seconds.

“He’s transitioning well, because the 400 hurdles, I’d say, are his best event if I had to give him one,” Johnson said. “He’s done a fabulous job … he’s a good team member, a good person, and he’s really doing well here.”

On the women’s side, senior Nikko Brady won her heat of the 100m hurdles with a time of 14.02 seconds, while sophomore Gemma Acheampong won her heat of the 100m dash in a time of 11.86 seconds.

“She’s such a hard worker and she gives 100 percent every time she steps on the track,” Johnson said of Acheampong. “I’m very proud of the job she did.”

At the Raleigh Relays in North Carolina, two perennial powerhouses for BU emerged victorious in their outdoor season debuts.

Graduate student Katie Matthews, competing for the first time since the NCAA Indoor Championships, won the 10,000m run by a 12-second margin, with a time of 33:36.68.

“She’s always performing at a very high level,” Johnson said. “It was an excellent run, she did exactly what she needed to do … she’s always out performing at her best, and she always brings her best game, and she did once again.”

Junior Rich Peters, an All-American in the 1,500m run last season, picked up where he left off in 2012 with a victory in the event, finishing in 3:43.26.

“It was excellent for Rich … he’s a hard worker and he’s put it all together, he’s really performing in the outdoor season and he’s showing what he’s capable of,” Johnson said. “I think we’re going to see a lot better stuff from him.”

Peters joined sophomore Ben Ravetz, senior Elliot Lehane and senior Robert Gibson for a sixth-place finish in the 4x800m relay, turning in a time of 7:38.46.

Several Terriers also competed closer to home at the Snowflake Classic in Medford.

Senior Sam Arsenault took home a second-place finish in the long jump, with a mark of 6.86m. In the pole vault, senior Adam Weaver placed third (4.15m).

Freshman Reuben Horace was second in the hammer throw (57.54m), while sophomore Michael Maloof placed fourth in the event with a mark of 51.75m.

In the 5,000m run, senior Terence Galasso finished eighth with a time of 15:31.80, while freshman Paul Gennaro was right behind him with a time of 15:33.40 for a ninth-place finish.

For the women, junior Janet Mellor finished fourth in the 400m dash (58.27) and eighth in the 200m dash (26.05). Sophomore Amber Muhammad placed eighth in the 400m dash, finishing in 1:00.12.

Sophomore Victoria Perez placed second in the 400m hurdles, finishing in 1:04.79. Freshman Jade Paul placed fourth in the 800m run, with a time of 2:21.21.

Many BU women fared well in the field events, as freshman Calina Glynn placed sixth in the pole vault (2.60m), with fellow freshman Marissa Brown (eighth, 2.45m) and sophomore Annie Pullen (ninth, 2.30m) close behind.

Junior Sarah Dillard placed in the top 10 in all three of her events — sixth in the discus (39.63m), 10th in the hammer throw (42.06m), and 10th in the shot put (11.59m). Senior Susan Ottey added a ninth place finish in the hammer throw (44.06m), while freshman Demi McEntee placed ninth in the javelin with a mark of 32.66m.

Johnson said she was pleased with the performances of all her athletes, and is looking forward to the coming weeks.

“Track is a game of running against yourself and the clock, and trying to really just improve every week,” Johnson said. “That’s hopefully what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to get everyone a little faster.

“We’re going to really work towards [the] end, and do whatever we need to do to get the kids moving in that direction and keep them focused.”

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