Men earn third at Western Pa. Championships
PITTSBURGH (March 29, 2008) – The Saint Francis University men’s track and field team took third at Saturday’s Western Pennsylvania Championships at Carnegie Mellon University. The Red Flash earned 99 points, while the host team took the gold with 151 points and California University of Pennsylvania placed second with 114 points.
Saint Francis’ James Bush (Baltimore, Md./St. Francis Prep) got the Flash out to a fast start, winning the meet’s first event – the 100-meter dash – with a time of 10.98 seconds. Jorden Davis (Mississauga, Ontario/Loyola Catholic) also did the red and white proud by finishing third with a time of 11.30.
In the 200-meter dash Ian Butcher (Georgetown, Ontario/Christ the King) was SFU’s top finisher, nabbing fifth place with a time of 22.78 seconds.
Chirs Behre’s third-place accolade in the 1500-meter run was the highlight of the day for the men in distance events. The Flanders, N.J. native completed the event with a time of 4:07.71.
Loretto’s beloved hurdler, Ben Peacock (Ebensburg, Pa/Central Cambria), earned SFU’s highest finished in both the 110-meter and 400-meter events. The sophomore ran the 110’s in 15.72 and the 400’s in 57.66 good enough for third and sixth place finishes, respectively.
Each Flash relay team lived up to its moniker in alternating first- and second-place honors. The 4x100 meter entry of Baker, Butcher, Dennis Eradiri (Sofia, Bulgaria/Vladislav Gramatik 73), and Davis took silver with a 43.22-second jaunt; the glories of a blue ribbon were bestowed upon the 4x400 meter team of Bush, Butcher, Behre, and Davis who compiled a time of 3:21.28; and the 4x800 meter brigade of Behre, Jeremy Tice, John Balouris (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shaler), and Jon Gibson (Cannonsburg, Pa./Cannon McMillian) were runners-up with a time 8:11.20.
Meanwhile, in the field…
Will Velez (Staten Island, N.Y./Benedictine) won the high jump with a whimsical leap of 2.00 meters. The junior out-leaped his nearest competitor by 0.05 meter.
Junior Ben Madeira (Summerhill, Pa./Forest Hills) was coronated as king of the hammer throw, with a mighty heave of 53.26 meters.
Madiera also pulled off a second-place throw of 15.41 in the shot put, but was outdone by teammate Josh Hazen (Vernon, N.J./Vernon), who won the even by sending the pill on a 15.43-meter journey to glory.
The Red Flash return to action on April 4-5 when they travel to Williamsburg, Va. for the William & Mary Colonial Relays.