Complete Results
RIVERDALE, N.Y. - The indoor track at Draddy Gymnasium was replaced with a state-of-the-art Mondo surface over the summer. On Thursday afternoon, the Manhattan College men's and women's track & field teams got a chance to formally compete on the new surface for the first time when they hosted the annual Manhattan College Opener. As a part of the festivities, Manhattan College President Dr. Brennan O'Donnell and Vice President for Student Life Dr. Richard Satterlee were honorary starters for the first races on the new Joseph P. Kearney '67 Track, the men's and women's 3000 meters.
December 1 is the first official day of the indoor season, and the first date on which athletes can qualify for the Metropolitan Championships and ECAC/IC4A Championships. Manhattan traditionally hosts a meet on December 1, with a number of Jaspers achieving qualifying marks in the season-opening competition. This year was no different, as there were 29 Met-qualifying performances and three IC4A qualifiers on Thursday.
The highlight of the meet was Brian McGovern (Yonkers, N.Y.) qualifying for the IC4A Championships in the men's pole vault with a leap of 4.80 meters (15 feet, nine inches). Having already won the competition, McGovern then made three very good attempts at 5.00 m (16'4). Also qualifying for the IC4A Championships was Roman Ewald (Olching, Germany), who reached the standard in both the shot put (16.10 m, 52'10) and weight throw (17.35 m, 56'11¼).
Among those who achieved Met qualifying standards were Dan Duffy (Monroe, N.Y.) in the long jump (6.84 m, 22'5¼) and triple jump (13.74 m, 45'1), and Rokas Kirlys (Kamaji, Lithuania) in both the shot put (15.52 m, 50'11) and weight throw (14.09 m, 46'2¾). Other Met qualifiers on the men's side were Trevell Moxey (Lansdale, Pa.) in the long jump (6.51 m, 21'4¼); Savio Paul (Yonkers, N.Y.) (4.15 m, 13'7¼), Matt Waldron (Lyndhurst, N.J.) (4.15 m, 13'7¼) and Chris Schaefer (Lake Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) (4.00 m, 13'1½) in the pole vault; Edward Brentnall (Atlanta, Ga.) (13.17 m, 43'2½) and Patrick Consoli (Cliffside Park, N.J.) (14.13 m, 46'4¼) in the weight throw; Salim Corbin (Patterson, N.J.) in the 3000 (8:58.48); and Abdias Myrtil (Wheatley Heights, N.Y.) in the 60 meters (7.08).
Other event winners on the men's side included Mike Carroll (Nanuet, N.Y.) in the high jump (a Met-qualifying 1.99 m, 6'6¼), Billy Wilkens (Kenmore, Wash.) in the 3000 (a Met-qualifying 8:49.34), Ryan Degnan (Seaford, N.Y.) in the 60 meter hurdles (8.66), Anthony Vega (Patchogue, N.Y.) in the 60 (a Met-qualifying 7.12), Greg Perrier (Dix Hills, N.Y.) in the mile (4:29.08), Pat Porteus (Uniondale, N.Y.) in the 500 meters (1:08.39) and the 4x800 meter relay squad of Anthony Colasurdo (Lanoka Harbor, N.J.), Mikael Rojeras (Sala, Sweden), Corbin and Perrier (8:16.85).
Andrea Nyback (Koping, Sweden) finished one centimeter shy of the ECAC qualifier in the women's long jump. Her best mark on Thursday was 5.69 m (18'8). Nyback also qualified for Mets in the 60 meter hurdles, posting a time of 8.99 seconds. Freshmen Jordan Rand (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Karolin Wagner (Ribbesbuettel, Germany) both had successful Manhattan debuts, each qualifying for Mets in two events. Rand's top distance in the long jump was 5.51 m (18'1), and she won the triple jump with a leap of 11.73 m (38'6). Wagner achieved the Met qualifier in the pole vault (3.45 m, 11'3¾) and the long jump (5.05 m, 16'7). Fellow newcomer Victoria Fitzgerald (Plymouth, Mass.) won the high jump with a Met-qualifying mark of 1.58 m (5'2¼).
Also qualifying for Mets on the women's side were Melissa Yap (Orchard Park, N.Y.) (3.30 m, 10'10) and Sarah Moore (Irvington, N.Y.) (3.00 m, 9'10) in the pole vault, as well as Wahnetah Carty (Gales Ferry, Conn.) (5.25 m, 17'2¼) and Sabrina Spataro (Middle Village, N.Y.) (5.07 m, 16'7¾) in the long jump.
On the track, the women's squad got victories from Alexandra Cappello (Scarsdale, N.Y.) in the 3000 meters (11:12.28), Nyback in the 60 hurdles, Maria Jangsten (Gothenburg, Sweden) in the mile (5:22.52) and Elizabeth Rosenberger (Ramsey, N.J.) in the 800 meters (2:33.17). Rosenberger came back roughly 20 minutes later to anchor the victorious 4x800 relay team that also included Jangsten, Emmy Koskinen (Sodertalje, Sweden) and Janie Turek (Mt. Sinai, N.Y.). The quartet finished in 10:10.98.
While most of the squad was in action on Thursday, the rest of the Jaspers will wait until Saturday's Yale Season Opener to make their indoor season debuts.
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