Some of New England's best track and field athletes hit Bowdoin's John J. Magee Track for the NESCAC championships, where the Bears met pre-meet expectations, finishing fifth out of 11 teams in Saturday's meet. Defending their title, the Williams Ephs claimed their sixth straight championship crown. Bates captured fourth place, while Colby finished eighth.
The Polar Bears boasted a number of exceptional performances. First-year Damon Hall-Jones captured fourth place in the 100 meters in a blazing 11.44 seconds. Bowdoin sprinters continued their success in the 400 meters with a fourth-place finish from sophomore Lamont White, breaking the 50-second barrier for the first time. Junior Joe Adu contributed to the Bears' effort with a second-place finish in the 110-meter hurdles and a fourth place in the long jump.
Junior Owen McKenna, slowed by traffic during the 1500 meters, still managed a fourth place in 3:57 minutes. Nate Krah '08 extended the Bears' success in the distance events, finishing fourth in the 5000 meters in 15:15. Fellow sophomore Tyler Lonsdale finished fifth in the 10,000 meters in 31:57.
The Bowdoin throwers had a fantastic day on Whittier Field. In the javelin throw, seniors Jared Prichard and Matt Regele took third and fourth, respectively. Senior Patrick Lyons heaved the shotput 46' 06" for fourth place. First-year Luke Fairbanks also delivererd big in the event, finishing fifth with a toss of 45' 08" feet. Senior Alex Linhart launched the hammer for a fifth-place finish with a toss of 164' 05". Lyons came in close behind for sixth place, throwing 163' 03".
The Bowdoin relays were equally impressive. The 4x100 and 4x400 relays both finished fourth. The distance medley relay was the highlight of the day for the Bowdoin, with first-year Jay McCormick, sophomores Tim Katlic and Steven Bartus, and junior Owen McKenna garnering the Bear's only first-place victory of the day.
According to Lyons, playing host to the NESCAC meet was exceptionally exciting for the men.
"[The] men really carried the momentum from the state meet into their events. We were all excited to compete in front of the home crowd. We're looking to do some damage at regionals," Lyons said.
The Bears are traveling to Springfield, Massachusetts today to compete in the New England DIII Championships.