BRUNSWICK, Maine -- Bates men's indoor track and field senior sprinter
Derek Shen broke the seven-second barrier in the 60-meter dash, and the Bobcats prevailed in seven events Saturday at Bowdoin's Lynn Ruddy Invitational.
Shen (Bellevue, Wash.) started the day with a mark of 7.07 in the 60-meter prelims. Then he really turned on the jets in the final, racing to the finish in a winning time of 6.92 seconds, breaking his own school record of 7.02 seconds along the way.
Bates sprinters turned in a 1-2-3 finish in the 60 meters, with senior captain
Colby Stakun-Pickering (Wellesley, Mass.) taking second in 7.06 seconds and sophomore
Kevin O'Connor (Milford, Mass.) placing third in a personal record 7.08 seconds, good for fourth on the Bates all-time performance list.
The Bobcats had a pair of runners qualify for the New England Division III Championships in the 400 meters, with senior
Robby Griffin (Norwell, Mass.) winning the race Saturday in 50.90 seconds. Senior
Peter Ackley (New Albany, Ohio) placed second to Griffin in 51.22 seconds.
Sophomore
Aidan Rooney (Bay Shore, N.Y.) led a 1-2 Bates finish in the mile with a personal record time of 4:21.09. Fellow sophomore
Cam Stathos (Wellesley, Mass.) finished second to Rooney with a personal record time of 4:22.78.
Bates had a near-monopoly on the 5,000 meters, with Bobcats taking the top five spots. Junior
Ned Farrington (Cohasset, Mass.) led the way in 14:59.44. Sophomore
Krishna Kakani (Monroe, N.J.) placed second with a personal record mark of 15:12.67.
Sophomore
Matthew Hamilton (Sudbury, Mass.) returned from injury to shine in the high jump, winning with a personal record leap of 1.85 meters.
Senior captain
Liam Byrne (Ridgefield, Conn.) won a pair of events on Saturday, taking first in the shot put with a personal record heave of 50-2.75 (15.31m) and first in the weight throw with a top effort of 56-11.5 (17.36m). The Bobcats went 1-2-3 in the weight throw, as junior
James Guinee (Topsfield, Mass.) placed second with a top effort of 52-5.25 (15.98m) and junior
Jacob Goff (Scarborough, Maine) coming in third at 51-11 (15.82m).
The Lynn Ruddy Invitational marks the final "regular season" meet for Bates indoor track and field. The Bobcats now set their sights on the New England Division III indoor track and field championships, set for Friday and Saturday at the TRACK at new balance in Boston.
