March 7, 2009
TRACK & FIELD CONTINUES OUTSTANDING INDOOR SEASON AT IC4A CHAMPIONSHIPS
BOSTON -- Coming off a tremendous performance at the 2009 Northeast Conference Indoor Track Championship and New England Championships, the Bryant University men's and women's indoor track & field teams were back in action on the first day of 2009 IC4A Indoor Championships at Boston University.
On Saturday, Thomas O'Connor (Westwood, MA) and Alex Engel (Spencer, MA) competed in the 200 & 400 meters respectively. O'Connor, enjoying one of the finest indoor seasons in recent years, placed 27th overall in the 200 meters with a time of 22.63 in the prelims. O'Connor, only a sophomore, narrowly missed out on qualifying for Sunday's finals. His time of 22.63 was better than his NEC time of 22.69 at the conference meet. Last week at the New England Championships, he ran a time of 21.94.
Engel, another one of Bryant's top sprinters, had a brilliant performance Saturday in the prelims of the 400 meters. Engel placed 12th overall in the 400m, finishing in a time of 48.72 seconds. He was just short of earning a qualifying spot in Sunday's finals, but his time was faster than the 48.84 he ran in the prelims at the New England's last week and at the conference championships in Landover, MD.
The men's 4x400 meter relay, consisting of O'Connor, Engel, Mike DiBella (Upper Saddle River, NJ), and Andrew Fitzgerald (New Hartford, CT), looked comfortable on the BU track as the group placed 17th overall in a time of 3 minutes, 18.57 seconds, bettering last week's 3:18.85 at the New England Championships.
The IC4A Championships conclude Sunday. Bryant opens its outdoor track season March 21 at the Northeastern Spring Open in a tune-up for the annual Bryant University Track & Field Invitational on Saturday, March 28 at the Bryant Track Complex. The Bryant Invitational will feature several Division I schools from around New England as the Bulldogs host their first home Division I meet. Bryant University is beginning its first year of transitioning to the highest level of competition.
