From NYU Athletics
The New York University men's track & field team took part in its first outdoor meet of the season, the University of South Florida Bulls Invitational, which was held on Thursday and Friday, March 19-20, in Tampa, FL.
The competition was a part of the Violets' spring break training camp.
"It was a great week of training," said Head Coach Will Boylan-Pett. "Throughout this week, we were were able to train full-time. We had great weather, and the University of South Florida was very accommodating by letting us use their track. Some great times that were posted today prove how much hard work we've put in at this training camp."
Senior Sebastian Oja made a successful debut in the 3,000m steeplechase. He finished third with a time of 9:56.37, which ranks top-10 nationally.
"Sebastian wanted to give steeplechase a try, and I let him," said Boylan-Pett. "We did some hurdling work coming into the meet. He was still a little nervous about the water jump, but everything went well. The two fastest guys i ,the race ran away pretty much from the start, while Sebastian held onto the third position, which is great."
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Three NYU runners finished among the top-10 in the 1,500m. Sophomore Nick Karam was third in 4:01.93. Freshman Max Mudd clocked 4:03.97 for fifth, while sophomore Curtis Mann took eighth in 4:10.10. Rookies Jordan Reyes and Sam Praveen took 15th (4:18.07) and 18th (4:23.77), respectively.
- Sophomore throwers Carter Beardsley and Antony Zeng were strong in the shot put. They took third and fourth with distances of 14.18m and 13.58m, respectively. Beardsley also competed in the hammer, finishing in eighth (42.30m). Zeng placed 12th in the discus throw (28.44m).
- Senior Zac Kish finished fourth in the 800m with a time of 1:56.18. Freshman Vincent Booth set a personal best of 1:57.68 for seventh, while sophomore Nolan Hayes was 15th in 2:00.44.
- Sophomore Budd Brown opened his outdoor season with a sub-50 performance in the 400m. He ran 49.96 for eighth. In the 200m, Brown was 11th with a personal best of 22.06.
"Brown ran well in both events, with a personal best in the shorter sprint," noted Boylan-Pett. "And, he added force to the 4x400m relay, where we mostly ran middle-distance people. It was a good speed work for everyone, especially coming off of a tough workout on Wednesday."
- The foursome of Booth, Brown, senior Tom Donegan and Kish placed third in the 4x400m relay with a time of 3:25.89.
- Sophomore Nick Torsitano finished fifth in the 400m hurdles with a time of 1:00.39.
- Senior sprinter Devon Batiz made a debut in the javelin throw. He placed 10th with a 41.54m attempt.
- Sophomore Caleb Su set a 100m collegiate best of 11.23 for 14th place, while in the 200m he placed 21st, also setting a personal best (22.55).
- There was no team scoring kept at the meet.