Track and field is the most acceptable occasion in which people have the runs, and the Beacons have been moving rather swiftly since they’ve migrated indoors for the winter. UMass Boston Men’s and Women’s Track and Field opened their winter track installation at the Suffolk relays Saturday, Dec. 2, and some of the Beacons’ fastest athletes laced up against arguably their toughest competitors. The relays featured a broadband of opponents, some of whom were playing at the Division I level—these athletes donned the logos of Northeastern University and Merrimack College, as noted by Beacons Athletics. [1] It was a tall task for both men’s and women’s track to start traveling at breakneck speed in order to go neck and neck with these runners, but many got off on the right foot, and shot out like a cannon from the gate.
Women’s track and field took home the top performance of the day, as Jacqueline Earner punched her ticket to a top-10 finish in the mile run, registering seventh place and clocking in with a highly formidable mark of 5:23:03. Sarah Campbell followed behind, crossing 44 seconds later with a time of 6:07.97 and a 27th-place finish.
Ariyanna Garceau mustered up some commendable finishes in the 60 and 200 meter races; she covered 60m of ground in 8.15s for 16th place, and subsequently crossed the 200m mark in 26.91s. Her time in the 200m called for a top-15 finish, and lucky number 13 is what she took on the official score card. Dorinda Okorji also participated in the 200m, crossing less than a second after Garceau for a 16th-place finish to go along with a time of 27.19s.
Harleen Bassan’s 400m run allowed her to take home 23rd place after reaching the finish line in just under 70 seconds at 69.1. Grace Colon pieced together an impressive time of 20:02.9 after her breathtakingly long 5,000m journey finished; her efforts were rewarded with 15th place. Okorji made an appearance in the field events for the Beacons, as did Mackenzie Jorgensen and Abigail Schell.
Their efforts didn’t go unnoticed; Jorgensen reached new heights with a 2.3m clearance in the pole vault, while Okorji reached new lengths this year with a 4.74m long jump. According to Beacons Athletics, Schell was able to shell out an impressive 9.25m toss in the weight throw, finishing the Beacons’ day strong against an advanced group of competitors. [2]
For men’s track and field, the day panned out similarly to their counterparts’. Derrick Trouba rumbled through the finish line in the 60m, forcing the stop watch to click after 7.12s; unfortunately for Trouba, despite his insane time and 10th place finish, he didn’t get the result he hoped for and was unable to qualify for the finals. Luckily, he was able to redeem himself in the 200m run, taking 19th place after 23.24s passed; Melvin Wiltshire trailed behind Trouba and finished a stride later at 24.18s. Cokoi Smith participated in both the 60m and 200m; he was the second Beacon to finish in the 60m, clocking in at 7.6s while also completing the 200m a second after Wiltshire at 25.4s.
The 300, 400 and 800m runs each featured only one member of men’s track, and all performed fairly well. Prabhdeep Bassan represented the Beacons in the 300m, and he reached the finish line in 41.77s. Hugo Dos Santos continued the trend for the Beacons, finishing the 400m in 59.24s. To round things off, Stressman gave the Beacons nothing to worry about; he had the 800m in his back pocket after crossing in 2:22.28.
The final event men’s track participated in was the five-kilometer race, and that was headlined by Rob Cannon and Zeph Alvarado. Cannon broke through and came in 53rd place, finishing the 5K in under 18 minutes at 17:24.16. Beacons Athletics reported that Alvarado’s efforts closed the day out for the Beacons; his sub-20 minute mark is nothing to joke about either, as his contribution with a time of 19:25.03 called for a moral victory for men’s track.
Men’s and women’s track and field had a field day at the Suffolk relays, and given the circumstances of facing off against a tougher pool of opponents, the Beacons did a noble job holding their own. However, there’s still much to improve on moving forward, and that starts with the building blocks they possess now. Both programs have a foundation, and they found success last year in both winter and spring track. If they want to make an impression on the LEC, now is the time to shift into overdrive, especially with winter break now on the forefront of everyone’s schedule. If they come out of winter break more adept after training for six weeks, they may be ready to take the Little East Conference by storm because overall, there may be some hiccups, but the trials and tribulations will pass, and the teams will hopefully get back on track like they have in years prior.