Track & Field Impresses

The University of Mary Washington’s track team laced up their sneakers yet again last Saturday, competing in the Towson University Invitational in Towson, Md.

There were several strong individual performances by both the men’s and women’s teams.

Sophomore Kyle Anderson achieved a first-place finish in the 10,000 meter competition, finishing with a time of 33:52.79, with freshman Sean Healy following at a close second with a time of 34:42.69. In the 800 meter sprint, sophomore Bobby Tillett finished first with a 1:59.10 time, with junior Sean Herlihy notching a second-place finish in the hurdles at 58.98 seconds.

On the field side, junior Matt Geller placed third in the shot put at 45 feet, 9.75 inches. Senior Nate Boyarsky had a third-place finish in the javelin throw at 178 feet, 5 inches.

Other notable individual performances were made by senior Matt Cash with a third-place finish in the 1,500 meter sprint at 4:04.20 and senior Jason Driscoll who placed third in the 5,000 meters at 15:39.63.

Head coach Stan Soper was impressed by the performances of both the men’s and women’s teams.

“I am very happy with the improvement for both the men and the women,” Soper said. “We have had continual progress, and there has been an overall progression. With better weather our sprinting will improve. We’ve had very little opportunity to practice our sprinting because of the weather. We need good weather to push a little more.”

This was the first track meet for the Eagles following the UMW-hosted Battleground relays, which were held on March 20 and featured many first-place finishes for the school. The Eagles had first-place finishes in the women’s 4×800 relay, the 4×100 relay, the 4×200 relay, the 4×400 relay and the distance relay. The men’s side also saw victories from Geller in the hammer throw, the 4×800 relay, the 300-meter steeplechase and the 4×400 relay.

Soper was very clear about the most important factor in his team’s success.

“This is true for any division-III team but dedication and hard work,” Soper said. “The distance teams have practiced since late summer, and the sprinters since late fall. They enjoy what they do, and they enjoy who they’re doing it with. They’re in it for the long haul, and it’s not always easy to keep your focus.”

Soper was equally succinct about the team’s goals from here on out.

“We have a goal not just to prepare for the conference championship but to win the conference championship,” Soper said. “We want every individual performance to improve. We have to get ready for April 17.”

The Eagles next performance will take place in the Duke University invitational this weekend in Durham, N.C. The Capital Athletic Conference championships will take place on April 17.