Men's Track & Field T-4th After Day 1 of NECs
Eleven athletes qualified for tomorrow's finals competition.
The Central Connecticut men's track and field team is currently tied for fourth place in Northeast Conference competition out of 10 teams. The squad competed Saturday at Prince George's Sports and Learning Complex in Landover, MD. Final competition will continue on Sunday.
The Blue Devils secured eleven qualifying performances for tomorrow's final competition and earned 15 points over today's events.
In the 3,000 meter run, junior Craig Hunt took gold for Central, crossing the finish line in 8:31.83. Hunt was followed by sophomore Andrew Hill in fifth (8:37.83) and freshman Matt Walker in eighth (8.41.75).
Senior Aaron Radden tied for fourth place in the 60m dash preliminary competition, crossing the finish line in 6.95 seconds. In addition to qualifying for tomorrow's competition in the 60m, reigning NEC Indoor Champion Radden also qualified in the 200m dash with a time of 22.13. He finished in third place in preliminary competition.
Central took three qualifying spots in the 400m dash with sophomore Jamal Fruster claiming second with a time of 50.56, senior Dan Hopper placing third (50.64) and classmate Nick Lindblom finishing fifth with a time of 50.94.
In the 500m, sophomore Joey Farrington placed eighth with a time of 1:07.12 to qualify for tomorrow's final competition. Freshman Malcolm Connor placed just behind Farrington in 11th, crossing the finish line in 1:07.48.
Sophomore Brian Biekert claimed silver in the one mile preliminary, crossing the finish line in 4:21.73, claiming a spot in tomorrow's final one mile race.
Freshman Joseph Gioielli, who earned NEC Rookie of the Week earlier this 2013 indoor season, took fifth in the 800m run preliminary with a qualifying time of 1:55.62.
Additionally, Blue Devil sophomore Jordan Watkins took fourth in the 60m hurdles (8.40) and was followed by Lindblom in sixth (8.43). Both will be competing in final competition tomorrow.
For results from day one, click here.
CCSU is currently tied with Robert Morris for fourth place and is preceded by Monmouth in first, followed by Mount St. Mary's and Sacred Heart. The Blue Devils will resume competition tomorrow, Sunday, Feb. 10 at 9:30 a.m. Fans can follow live action via Twitter @ NECtrack and via the NEC Championships live results page.
