Men’s Track Takes Second at New England Championship
The MIT men’s track and field team picked up a second-straight runner-up finish at the NCAA New England Division III Outdoor Championship over the weekend at Springfield College. Despite winning just two individual events, the Engineers were able to secure a comfortable second-place standing with 108 points, well ahead of third-place Springfield’s total of 56. Sophomore Stephen A. Morton ’10 eclipsed a 73-year old Institute record with his winning effort in the long jump.
Morton jumped 24'2.25" to better Stanley Johnson’s mark of 24'2.00" feet, set in 1936. That distance was good for an automatic qualification into the NCAA Championship and currently stands as the fourth best in the nation. Morton added a strong showing in the triple jump en route to a second-place finish. The junior jumped 48'4.75", just two inches shy of the automatic qualifying standard but currently the sixth-best mark in Division III.
Tech’s other event win came in the 3000m Steeplechase, as Richard J. Prevost ’11 and Paul D. Welle ’11 combined for a dominant one-two sweep. Prevost edged Welle by just 2.25 seconds, crossing the finish line in 9:26.54. Both runners finished more than seven seconds faster than their closest competitor.
The Cardinal and Grey picked up key points in the 10,000-meter run with three top-six performances. Jake J. Ruzevick ’09 (32:42.00) led the way with a fourth-place finish. He was immediately followed by Daniel E. Harper ’12 (32:47.98) and Jack H. Bourbonnais ’10 (33:17.21).
Greg D. Tao ‘10 and Nathan E. Peterson ’12 placed second and third, respectively, in the pole vault, with Tao vaulting 14'9.00". Nathaniel S. Sharpe ’09 also earned points in the event with a fifth-place showing. Mitchell J. Kelley ’11 was a runner-up in the discus with his toss of 149'00".
Williams College took home the team title with a total of 136.66 points.
The Engineers will be back in action at the NEICAAA Championship next week. The meet, hosted by UMass-Amherst, begins Thursday afternoon and ends Saturday.