HIGH POINT, NC- Monmouth University opened up the outdoor track and field season this weekend at the Bob Davidsion Spring Kickoff, held on the campus of High Point University.
The Hawks went 1-3-4 in the shot put with junior Corey Murphy (Yaphank, NY/Longwood) earning gold with a throw of 59' 5.5” while freshman Brandon Davis (Cliffwood, NJ/Old Bridge) took third (51' 3.75”) and sophomore Andrew Tummino (River Edge, NJ/River Dell) taking fourth with his throw of 50' 11”. Murphy also placed second in the discus with his IC4A qualifying mark of 164' 11”. Sophomore Harrison Bickmore (Albany, NY/Guilderland) won the high jump, clearing 6' 7” to lead a solid effort by the Monmouth jumpers.
Senior captain Faith Blamon (Cinnaminson, NJ/Cinnaminson) qualified for the ECAC's in her first opportunity with a throw of 151' 3”, earning her second place at the meet. Competing with just its jumping and throws units, the Monmouth men finished second of 14 teams while the women were 11th out of 16 squads.
NOTES AND QUOTES
"Most of our throwers along with some of our jumpers and a few sprinters opened the season for us down South and had some great early-season results. We're looking forward to getting the whole team in action next weekend at home." – Monmouth Head Coach Joe Compagni
· Monmouth's women's team was chosen to finish first in the 2017 MAAC Coaches Outdoor Poll while the men were selected to finish second behind Rider. Both teams have won the outdoor title each of the three seasons Monmouth has competed in the MAAC
· Freshman Dan Gilligan's fourth place throw in the discus of 162' 1” qualified him for the IC4As
· Sophomore Mike Pepper took home a pair of silver medals in the long jump the triple jump. He was the first collegiate in both events as well
· Tim Wilson was second in the hammer (193' 8”) while fellow Hawk Troy Andretta took fifth (185')
· The meet featured a ton of Division I teams including host High Point, Wake Forest, Dartmouth, Western Carolina, Mount St. Mary's and Duquesne among others
NUMBERS CRUNCH
· Sophomore Mark Orlando took third in the javelin with a throw of 201' 4”
· Stephanie Roones qualified for the ECAC's with her fourth place throw of 142' 8” in the javelin
· Harry Bickmore took home 5th place in the long jump
· Freshman Jordan Wildermuth and sophomore Allison Taub placed seventh and eighth in the shot put
· Mike Sangimino (6th) and Liam Onbashian (7th) in the javelin
· Nick Laspada finished fifth (fourth collegian) in the triple jump 41' 10.5”
· The women's hammer squad went 5-6-8 among collegiate competitors with Kennisha Okereke throwing 170' for fifth
UP NEXT
Monmouth will host the annual Monmouth Season Opener next Friday and Saturday.
