Velez and Clark Lead Lancers at Westfield Invitational

Worcester, MA- The Men's Indoor Track team travelled to Westfield State on Saturday to compete in the Westfield Invite at Smith College. The team placed 3rd out of the four teams competing for a total score of 71 points. The Men were led by the strong finishes of first year Elvis Velez (Clinton, MA), senior Daniel Clark (Worcester, MA), first year Eliezer Gonzalez (Worcester, MA), junior Jack Houlihan (Rutland, MA), senior Brendan Sharkey (Fort Wayne, IN) and sophomore Brian O'Leary (Marlborough, MA).

Velez was quick to grab some top points for the Blue and Gold as he raced to a first place finish in the 60m with a time of 7.29m. He would follow up that strong performance with a 23.81second finish for 2nd place in the 200m, making quick work of his 18-point additions to the Lancer total. Sophomore Giovanni Casiano (Oxford, MA) had a strong showing with Velez in both the 60m, 7.64 for 7th, as well as in the 200m, where he crossed in 25.62 to round out the top 10 in the event. Teammates junior Anthony Paolucci (Billerica, MA) and Gonzalez additionally competed in the 200m with time 27.25 seconds and 28.53 seconds for 16th and 17th in the race. Clark added his own 10 points to the quota with his 2:42.56 1000m run that had him leading the pack across the finish line. Sharkey had double duty on the day for points, bringing in 6 points with his 55.88 second finish in the 400m as well an additional gain as a member of the third place 4X400m relay team who crossed in a time of 4:07.93 for Sharkey's second third place of the day alongside teammates O'Leary and Casiano. O'Leary recorded his own additional third place finish with his 1:32.55 in the 600m alongside Seth Boudreau who crossed in a time of 1:33.33 for the 4th spot.

Some unique excitement at the meet was the creation of a throwers relay who competed in the 4x200m. The team included junior Matthew Long (East Bridgewater, MA), sophomore Max O'Connor (Dedham, MA) and Houlihan, who finished in a time of 1:58.21 for a 3rd place finish. The throwers did not just shine on the track today but came out looking to go the distance with Houlihan throwing a 12.51m for third in the weight throw, followed by O' Connor at 11.72m in 5th and Long at 10.57m for 7th. O'Connor and Houlihan additionally competed in the shot put where Houlihan tossed an 11.06m for 5th, followed closely by O'Connor with an 11.02m for 6th. On the field side, the jumping unit could not be ignored with Gonzalez jumping a 9.65m in the triple jump for 2nd and 5m in the long jump for a third place distance. Casiano was close behind with a distance of 4.99m for a 4th place finish.

The distance side of the track team made their presence known with first year James Riley (Shrewsbury, MA) crossing 4th in the 3000m at a time of 9:32.64 along fellow first year Alexander Matsuyasu (Newton, MA) who came in at 10:41.67 for an 8th place crossing. First year Alexander Lucier (Gardner, MA), junior Matthew Talbot (Belchertown, MA) and first year Andrew Stokes (Wilmington, MA) each took to the track to race it out in the 1 mile, with Lucier leading the group at 4:59.31 for 6th, followed by Talbot at a time of 5:10.98 in 9th and Stokes at 5:28.93 for 13th.

The Lancers Track team is back in action next Saturday as they head back to Wheaton College for the Wheaton Pre-Post Season Meet.