By Colin Fields
Contributing Writer
The men’s track team, the defending outdoor Patriot League champions, lived up to expectations on Saturday at the Towson Invitational in Maryland. Lenny Joseph ’13, Ted Heitzman ’12, Luke Webster ’13, Chris Sacks ’14, Isaih Bell ’11, John Picardo ’11, Ian Shore ’11 and Drew Fitzgerald ’11 all brought home victories for the Bison. Bison athletes also took the top two spots in the hammer throw, discus, 1500-meter and 100-meter.
Joseph ran away with the hammer throw, throwing 182′ 1″ and breaking his personal record by over 13 feet. His teammate, Tom Barr ’12, threw 169’9″ for second place and his own personal record.
The Bison continued their successful throwing in the discus where Webster finished first, Barr second and Joseph third. Heitzman won the javelin while Barr finished second in the shot put, his third second-place finish.
In the 1500-meter run, the Bison took the top six spots. Sacks, Rookie of the Meet at the Patriot League Indoor Championships, grabbed first with a time of 4:04.20. Teammate Christopher Boyd ’11 finished a close second with a time of 4:04.76.
“I am excited to be racing outside, and I think it will be a great spring season,” Sacks said. “In terms of last weekend, my time was slow, but the meet served as a good warm-up to prepare everybody for the rest of the outdoor season.”
Bell and Justin Hicks ’13 took the top two spots for the Bison in the 100-meter run. Bell ran it in 10.98 seconds while Hicks finished just two hundredths behind with a mark of 11 seconds.
Picardo took gold in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:55.22, and Shore took home gold in the 5K.
Fitzgerald placed first in the high jump at 6’4″. He nearly won a second event by finishing second in the long jump.
“As a team we have very high expectations for the spring season, and we understand that we need strong performances right from the start,” Fitzgerald said. “The outdoor season is short, making every practice and competition very important. Personally, as a senior, each meet takes on a little more meaning, and I hope to make the best of it and win another team championship.”
The Orange and Blue will look to continue their success at the William and Mary Colonial Relays on April 1-2.