The men’s and women’s track and field teams visited Holy Cross for their multi-event meet both Wednesday and Thursday the week of April 17. The men competed in the decathlon, a 10-discipline event, while the women participated in the heptathlon comprising seven events. Both events took place over two days, with points awarded based on performance rather than placement. Athletes are given 30 minutes of rest between events so the decathlon and heptathlon are not only trials of athleticism, but of endurance as well.
On the men’s side, second-year Dennis Peary of UMass Lowell took first place with a finish worth a total of 6,280 points. His pole vault height reached 11’11” which is an improvement over his previous personal best of 11’3.75”. Peary’s javelin throw (166’1.7”) was also an improvement over his previous best of 163’3”. He had a personal best in four other events and won the shot put with a toss of 41’5.75”.
Maine’s third-year Garrett Johnson finished second in the decathlon, with his total of 5,935 points. Johnson garnered the most points out of all competitors in the 400 meter (50.78), 1500 meter (4:39.13) and pole vault (4.25m). Johnson was joined by fourth-year teammate Andrew Toothaker. Toothaker finished sixth, with a total of 5,187 points. His 16.01 performance in the 110 hurdles secured him a victory in that event along with the 732 points that go with it.
On the women’s side, fourth-year Janel Conley of the University of Rhode Island (URI) earned the most points in the heptathlon. Her 5,407 points were earned through first-place finishes in the 100 meter hurdles (13.81), high jump (1.65 meters), long jump (5.88 meters) and the 800 meter (2:21.03). In second place, with 4,594 points, was fourth-year Hannah Madison from URI as well. Fourth-year Alexa Frame finished 12th for Maine, with total points amounting to 3,512. First-year Skylar Cooke finished in 15th place with 3,368 points. Right behind her was first-year Alexis Cooke, who placed 16th after managing to accrue 3,330 total points. Fourth-year Grace MacLean finished competition with a “Did Not Finish” status.
The men’s team moves on to Princeton University for the Princeton Invitational on Saturday, April 29. A meet with Holy Cross is scheduled for Saturday as well. The women will meet with the men at the Princeton Invitational and will also be taking on the University of Pennsylvania in the Penn Relays next Thursday, April 27 and Friday, April 28.
