Staying close to home last weekend must have given the men’s indoor track and field team an extra boost – they finished a solid third place out of 13 teams at the New York State Track and Field Championships at the Rochester Institute of Technology, breaking many school and facility records.
Led by two individual championships and two relay wins, the Yellowjackets totaled 104 points.
Senior Matt Tierney repeated last year’s performance as the 400-meter dash champion, clocking in at 50.25 seconds. He was also a member of the 4×200-meter and 4×400-meter champion relay teams.
UR’s other individual champion was senior Chris Nolan in the 1,000-meter run. Not only did Nolan place first in the event with a time of 2:32.69, but he also broke the standing facility record for the event.
The 4×200-meter relay team, consisting of Tierney, senior Kirk Bristol, freshman Marquis Turner and sophomore Justin Papariella, ran away with the win with a time of 1:30.36, breaking not only the school record and the facility record, but also the meet record.
“The guys all ran great, our handoffs were great and we were fortunate enough to win against a very good field,” Tierney said. “Setting the school and state meet record was unbelievable, but the top priority was scoring 10 points for the team and we got it done.”
The final championship event for UR was the 4×400-meter relay. This team, consisting of Bristol, senior Jacob Pylman, sophomore Max Ehrmann and Tierney, clocked in at 3:25.97, winning right at the tape and just qualifying for the Eastern College Athletic Conference Championships.
“Our 4×400 [relay team] ended the meet on a great note with a runaway win,” Bristol said.
Tierney noted that the race was not easy to win. “It was a very exciting race that came down to the wire,” he said. “Bristol and Pylman, our first two legs, ran great and Ehrmann, who doesn’t usually run the 4×400, stepped up and gave me the stick in good position.”
There were many other note-worthy performances from the team that helped the ‘Jackets place third. Bristol ran the 400-meter dash and placed third with a time of 51.37. Nolan also ran in the distance medley, along with Pylman, MacIlvain and sophomore Mark Stevens. This team placed third with a time of 10:19.98, gaining six points for the Yellowjackets.
The 200-meter dash earned UR 18 points, as four individuals scored. Tierney was second overall with a time of 22.71. Turner was fourth with a time of 23.01, Bristol placed sixth with a time of 23.34 and Papriella came in seventh with a time of 23.64.
“Although we didn’t come away with a team championship, our team as a whole had a very good meet,” Tierney said. “There were many great performances and third place is nothing to be ashamed of.”
Bristol added that every team member played a significant role in the meet.
“We had a great mix of veterans and some younger guys that stepped it up when it really counted and set the tone for what remains of the indoor season and the outdoor season,” Bristol said.
This weekend, the Yellowjackets will travel to Ursinus College in Pennsylvania for the ECAC championships.
Philbrick can be reached at ephilbrick@campustimes.org.
