Track & Field: Six River Hawks Off to NCAA Championship
Marshfield’s Catarius Ranked Ninth in 800 Meters

LOWELL, MA (May 14, 2008) – Sophomore Haley Catarius (Marshfield, MA) received the ninth seed in the 800 meters and led five teammates who earned places in the NCAA Division II Track & Field Championship Thursday, May 22 through Saturday, May 24 at Mount San Antonio College in Walnut, CA.

Catarius leads four sophomores, one junior and one freshman for the River Hawks, who despite their youth, bring a wealth of experience into the NCAA.

“This group is different from previous years because it is such a young group,” said UML Head Coach Gary Gardner. “Every kid except for one has been to the NCAA cross country and/or track and field championship. After you’ve made it before, just making it is no longer good enough. The fact that this group is so young and so experienced is a huge advantage.”

Three UML men and women were selected in six events, ranging from the ninth to the 16th seeds. “A lot of our seeds are because of our spring season in general with the weather, and I think we get underseeded,” Gardner noted. “Typically, if our kids can perform at their seed results, they can get into the final.”

Catarius earned the ninth seed by way of her finish in 800 meters at the New England Championship – 2:11.80, third place – last Saturday.

Catarius’ result, just 1/100th of a second from tying the school record, was the 13th-fastest time in the country during the outdoor season. She catapulted to the ninth seed due to other athletes who sustained injuries or opted to concentrate on other events.

The NCAA appearance is the third for Catarius, who earned All-American honors as part of UML’s distance medley relay team in both the 2007 and 2008 NCAA indoor championship. Running the 800 meters, in both races, she helped the 2007 squad to a seventh place finish in 2007 and an eighth-place result last season.

“This has been a great year for Haley even though she hasn’t been able to run the 800 in the best of conditions,” Gardner said. “She is still on an upside this season and I think she can finish as high as fifth or sixth.”

Freshman Lyra Clark (Nashua, NH), also a member of UML’s All-American DMR team in the indoor season, earned the 14th seed in the 1,500 meters.

Clark posted the 26th-fastest result in Division II last weekend at the New England Championship when she placed ninth overall (fourth among Division II and III runners) in a school-record 4:36.41.

“Lyra’s whole year has been a surprise, just in the way she has adapted,” Gardner said. “We don’t get many kids like her. Regardless of what happens (in the NCAAs), she has had a spectacular year.”

Sophomore Jacqui Barrett (Woburn, MA) makes her first-ever appearance in the shot put following a near-miss in the indoor season. Barrett earned the 13th seed with a distance of 46 feet, 0.75 inches when she won the Northeast-10 Conference Championship on May 3.

“Jacqui had a good year last year, but she hit a plateau around 41 feet,” said Gardner. “Now, a bad day for her is throwing 44 feet. She took her work ethic to a new level and I think if she can throw 46 feet at the NCAAs, she can get into the top eight.”

Highlighting the UML men is junior Andrew Grange (Methuen, MA), who with eight NCAA Championship appearances, is UML’s most experienced entry. Grange earned the 13th seed in the 400 meter dash with a time of 47.42 seconds, which ranked 18th in the country this season.

Grange achieved the result last Saturday at the Florida State Seminole Twilight Classic, at which he placed second in the 400 meter dash. He is hoping for a repeat (or better) from last season. Seeded 10th in the 2007 NCAA 400, Grange placed seventh to earn All-American honors in 46.97.

“We anticipate Andrew making the final and placing,” Gardner noted. “One thing about him is that when the pressure is on, he is at his best. We think 46.6, 46.7 seconds is within his range.”

Grange was among two River Hawks who qualified in the NCAAs. Sophomore Doug Caves (Oxford, MA), who placed sixth in last year’s NCAA 400 meters championship (46.49), would have been seeded ninth (47.08), but is battling mononucleosis.

Also making their first appearances are sophomore Tim Guerin (Auburn, MA) and junior Rex Radloff (Dedham, MA). Guerin earned the 14th seed in the 3,000 meter steeplechase with a time of 9:14.28, achieved at the Penn Relays on Apr. 24.

“I remember Tim calling us in June 2006 after graduating and asking if he could walk on to the team,” said Gardner. “He did his summer running program, earned all-conference (in cross country) as a freshman and has just steadily improved. He’s found his niche in the steeplechase. He put in the time and now he is getting some reward out of it.”

Radloff is the 16th seed in the 5,000 meters with a time of 14:23.31, the 20th-fastest result in Division II this season. Radloff solidified his place in the 5,000 meters at the New England Championship on May 10, in which he placed second.

“Rex’s result is the sixth-fastest time in school history,” said Gardner. “Considering the competitive history of the 5,000 meters here, that is a very good result.”