SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - Worcester State's throwers marked 80 of their 176.50 total points in their first place finish at the Springfield College Classic on Saturday (Apr. 23) afternoon.
"We had another solid day today," stated head coach Al Halper. "The throws squad, as usual, dominated the shot put, discus throw and hammer throw and also got points in the javelin throw. They continue to perform at their best week to week getting season and career PRs each week."
Six of the top eight contesters in the men's shot put were Lancers, as Sam Weeks (Methuen, Mass.) topped the event with at 14.98m. Jacob Roumanos (Whitman, Mass.) came in third (13.26m), while rookie Marcus Vieira (Peabody, Mass.) came in at fourth (12.88m). Taylor Clark (Whitinsville, Mass.), Anthony Christo (Peabody, Mass.), and Mike Piantedosi (Stow, Mass.) came in at 6th, 7th, and 8th places respectively, giving the Lancers' 27 points on the event.
Five of the top eight competitors in the discus were Worcester State student-athletes as Worcester State's Weeks claimed the top spot once again (for DIII NE and ECAC Championships qualifications) with a top throw of 46.67m. Vieria came in at third (40.03m), while Ryan Filliger (Haverhills, Mass.) came in at fourth (39.64m). Matthew Dent (Ludlow, Mass.) and Piantedoesi came in at 6th and 7th, respectively.
Most of the same group was at the top of the results in the men's hammer throw as Vieira took the win and Weeks followed with a second place mark – both to qualify for DIII New England and ECAC Championships. Vieira's top throw was 49.40m, and Weeks was 49.15m. Piantedosi grabbed 4th place, while Robert White (Ludlow, Mass.) grabbed a 5th place spot at 42.34m.
Duy Truong (Worcester, Mass.) totaled 22 points for the Lancers as he grabbed 16 points for the Lancers in two second place finishes – one in the men's long jump (6.72m), and another in the 110 Meter Hurdles (15.28), qualifying for Division III New England and ECAC Championships in the hurdles, and DIII New England for the long jump. He also added in six points for the Lancers in the 100 Meter Dash (11.12), qualifying for Division III New England's.
Benjamin Dussault (Assonet, Mass.) grabbed eight points with a second place finish in the 200 Meter Dash (22.47) – good for Division III New England's, while Charles Newman (Westfield, Mass.) also qualified by adding in three point with a 6th place finish in the dash in 22.67. Dussault gave the Lancers five with a fourth place finish in the 100 Meter Dash, recording a time of 11.13 – good for Division III New England's. Mamudu Dennis (Worcester, Mass.) chipped in one point for an 8th place finish in the 100 Meters.
Marques Johnson (W. Hartford, Conn.) placed 5th in the 400 Meter Dash to log four points at 51.67. Jeffrey Davis (Old Lyme, Conn.) landed in two points with a 7th place finish in the 800 Meter Run, finishing in a time of 2:01.87.
Elijah Mawejje (Woburn, Mass.) topped all opponents with a first place finish in the men's high jump for a top height of 1.88 meters, qualifying for Division III New England's. Scott Page (Baldwinville, Mass.) and Brett Robinson (Westborough, Mass.) placed 7th and 8th in the men's pole vault.
Michael Ricci (Peabody, Mass.) and Devin Luce (Milford, Mass.) gave the Lancers 10 points in the 3000 Meter Steeplechase, as Ricci placed third (10:54.89) and Luce came in 5th (11:03.74).
Worcester State's group of Marc George (Framingham, Mass.), Johnson, Angel Martinez (Lawrence, Mass.), and Mitchell Cupp (N. Attleboro, Mass.) launched a 2nd place finish in the 4x400 Meter Relay for eight points.
Eric Sanford (Peabody, Mass.) came in 4th in the 300 Meter Hurdles at 1:01.06. Tyler Nims (Ashburnham, Mass.) also placed in the 400 Meter Hurdles with a 7th place finish in 1:03.06.
Markiesh Harmon (Leominster, Mass.) came in behind at fourth in the men's long jump (6.53m), and then Ryan Connolly (Braintree, Mass.) placed third in the triple jump at 12.31m.
Alexander Mandragouras (Newbury, Mass.) marked a fifth place finish in the men's javelin throw for a distance of 47.11m.
The Lancers will begin to prepare for MASCAC Championships which will be hosted at UMass-Dartmouth next weekend (Apr. 30).
"Considering that we did not run everyone in their usual events, I was delighted to see how well we did as a team," added Halper. "The hope is we can bring our balanced attack into the MASCAC Championship meet next week."