ROXBURY, Mass. – The Worcester State University men's track & field team opened up the 2017-18 indoor track & field season on Saturday (Dec. 2) at the UMass Boston Invitational. Justin Lewis (Lynn, Mass.) won the high jump and the Lancers saw second place markings from Scott Page (Winchendon, Mass.), Marcus Vieira (Peabody, Mass.), and Marques Johnson (West Hartford, Conn.).
THE BASICS
December 2, 2017
UMass Boston Invitational
Reggie Lewis
No Team Scoring
WORCESTER STATE TOP PERFORMERS
- Justin Lewis - 1st Place in High Jump (2.10m/6-10.75)
- Scott Page - 2nd Place in Pole Vault (4.15m/13-7.25)
- Marcus Vieira - 2nd Place in 35lb weight throw (17.48m/57-4.25), 2nd Place in Shot Put (14.56m/47-9.25)
- Marques Johnson - 2nd Place in 1000M (2:42.32)
- Markiesh Harmon – 4th Place in High Jump (1.95m/6-4.75), 5th Place in Long Jump (20—7.25)
- Eddy Acuna – 4th Place in Shot Put (13.93m/45-8.50), 9th Place in Weight Throw (13.38m/43-10.75)
- Jacob Roumanos – 6th Place in Shot Put (13.44m/44-01.25), 7th Place in Weight Throw (14.13m/46-4.25)
- Jeff Davis – 5th Place in 500M (1:09.3)
- Giovanny Guzman – 7th Place in Triple Jump (12.30/40-4.25)
- Mitchell Cupp – 8th Place in 500M (1:11.60)
- Abdulrazak Frederick – 9th Place in 60M Hurdles (8.98)
- Edward Boamah – 10th Place in 200M (23.24)
- Manasseh Konadu – 18th Place in 60M (7.31)
RECAP
Division III National outdoor high jump champion, Lewis led the "good stuff" by tying the meet record in the high jump and starting where he left off last spring. He had two great attempts at 7'1.25" and just missed. Head coach Al Halper believes his performance today should get him back to nationals in March. Markiesh Harmon (Leominster, Mass.) also had a jump of 6'4.75" to put in a good place in the high jump this early.
The throwers also showed their strength in the 35lb weight and the shot put. Vieira led the throws crew with two second place finishes and great throws for the first meet. In addition, the Lancers went 2nd-7th and 9th in the weight throw with Jacob Roumanos (Whitman, Mass.) and Eddy Acuna (Newton, Mass.) both getting PRS. In the shot it was 2nd-4th and 6th with Acuna taking the fourth spot and Roumanos finishing sixth. Page was 2nd in the pole vault just missing on his vault over 14'3". "He is aiming to get over 15' this season and this first meet is a step in the right direction," said Halper.
In the running events, freshmen Abdulrazak Frederick (Shrewsbury, Mass.) just missed finals in the 60m hurdles by a mere .02. "He is still making adjustments to the increased height of the college hurdles (from 39" to 42") so it was a nice start for him," stated Halper. Sprinter and jumper Giovanny Guzman (Salem, Mass.) had a solid first collegiate meet finishing 7th in the triple jump and also having a good first outing in the 60m and 200m races as well as the Long jump. "Gio is also just adjusting to some of the changes we have been making in his technique both in the sprints and the jumps," mentioned Halper. "As he internalizes these changes more his performance level will develop even more."
Sophomore Edward Boamah (Worcester, Mass.) and junior Curtis Boisvert (Mansfield, Mass.) looked good coming off of football season and limited track work. Halper was pleased with the two of them as they contributed a lot last year. Boamah made the trip to nationals last spring and hopes to return to the nationals this indoor season. Johnson finished second in the1000m and Jeff Davis (Old Lyme, Conn.) finished 5th in the 500m. "Marques and Jeff should be a factor in the championship meets later in the season," expressed Halper. "As seniors, we need their quality of performance and leadership to be successful."
COACHES CORNER
Head coach Al Halper commented, "This will be an interesting and competitive indoor season both between members of our squad internally, but also in the conference. The other teams in the conference picked up some solid recruits as did we. I expect that the conference meet will be a "dogfight" as every team has picked up some outstanding athletes who can make a difference and affect the overall outcome. I told my guys that despite the hard work they have displayed so far, they need to work even harder to insure that we can be ready and "show up" when it counts later in the season."
UP NEXT
The men's track & field team returns to the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center next Saturday (Dec. 9) for the Northeastern Invitational.
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