April 30, 2011

Results

Senior William Nguidjoi (Lawrence, Mass.) won the triple jump and eclipsed a 33-year-old school record to lead the UMass Lowell men’s track and field team at the Stonehill Skyhawk Invitational Friday at W.B. Mason Stadium.

UMass Lowell compiled 89 points and placed fourth as the host Skyhawks won the team title with 148.5 points. Northeastern placed second with 128.5 points while Boston University took third with 92 points.

Nguidjoi won the triple jump with a distance of 47 feet, 6.25 inches and bested the previous school record of 47’ 4.0’’ set at the 1978 New England Championship by Nate Anderson by 2.25’’.

Nguidjoi also took third overall and tops among Division II and III athletes in the long jump with a distance of 21’ 10.0’’, just behind Blake Edwards of Boston University (23’ 5.25’’) and Matt Adetula of Boston College (22’ 9.0’’).

Nguidjoi led three UMass Lowell individuals and the 4X400 relay team which won titles on the day while five athletes and the 4X400 team emerged tops in the Division II and III field.

Sophomore Craig Bennett (Milton, Mass.) captured the 400 meter dash and provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championship with a time of 47.62 seconds, which currently stands 13th on the NCAA Division II list.

Bennett was among three River Hawks in the top five places as junior Jeff Wundt (Southwick, Mass.) placed third in 49.37 seconds and freshman Tim Regan (Sandwich, Mass.) fifth in 49.45.

Wundt and Regan also ran legs on UMass Lowell’s 4X400 meter relay team which placed first in 3:20.68. Freshman Casey O’Brien (Seekonk, Mass.) led off with a 50.8-second split and was followed by Regan in 49.8 seconds, freshman Keith Lewis (Nashua, N.H.) in 49.6 and Wundt the anchor in 50.0.

Lewis also captured an individual title, winning the 400 meter hurdles in 53.96 seconds and leading three UMass Lowell hurdlers in the top seven places. Freshman Cameron Mitchell (Wakefield, Mass.) placed sixth overall (third among Division II-III athletes) in 56.72 seconds and freshman Vladimir Francois (North Attleboro, Mass.) seventh (fourth) in 56.77.

Lewis placed sixth in the high jump (6’ 2.0’’) while Regan and O’Brien did well in the 200 meters, Regan in fourth (22.49) and O’Brien in eighth (22.88). Mitchell also placed fourth in the 110 meter high hurdles in 15.38 seconds.

Mitchell and Francois each ran splits on UMass Lowell’s 4X100 meter relay team, which took fifth in 43.59 seconds. Joining them were freshmen Ryan Perkins (Lynnfield, Mass.) and Jeremy Cwieka (Chicopee, Mass.).

Among UMass Lowell’s five individual athletes to finish among the top Division II and III athletes was freshman Kevin Peter (North Attleboro, Mass.), who placed fourth in the discus with a throw of 134’ 5.0’’. Peter also took sixth (second) in the hammer with a distance of 153’ 8.0’’.

In other events, freshman Jake Connors (Winthrop, Mass.) placed seventh in the high jump, clearing 6’ 2.0’’; while Cwieka took ninth in the 100 meter dash (11.72).

UMass Lowell hosts the Northeast-10 Conference Championship Friday at the Cushing Field Complex.