RESULTS
 
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass.—Top performances in the field helped the UMass Lowell men's track and field team secure the first-place finish at the 2022 Merrimack Invitational on Thursday afternoon.
 
Graduate student Patrick Pang (Peabody, Mass.) and freshman James Kotowski led the team with top marks and personal bests to continue their impressive outdoor campaign. Experienced in the circle, Pang picked up first in the hammer throw off a personal-best toss of 59.95m (229'6") before bringing home sixth in the shot put with a 13.82m (45'4.25") heave.
 
"Pat had another great meet with a personal best," said Head Coach Gary Gardner. "He's a great leader ad worker."
 
Shattering his school record set just two weeks ago, Kotowski registered another career performance and launched the javelin to a school and personal-best distance of 68.60m (225'1").
 
"James continues an amazing season with another school record," remarked Gardner. "He's assured himself a spot at the NCAA Regional meet. [He's had] an amazing couple of weeks."
 
Kotowski and Pang only marked the beginning of the UMass Lowell throwing crew's success at Duane Stadium. In total, eight River Hawk throwers finished with top-eight distances in at least one event this afternoon.
 
Joining their fellow javelin thrower, sophomores Zach Cardoso (Newton, N.H.) and Robert Townsend (Ashland, Mass.) finished in third and fourth, respectively.
 
Sophomore Luis Cadime (Lowell, Mass.) landed at the top of the scoreboard in the shot put off a 15.21m (49'11") toss. Cadime also logged a fifth-place distance of 41.65m (136'8") in the discus to round out his day in the circle.
 
Graduate student DeReginald Walker (Rancho Cordova, Calif.) notched a pair of second-place finishes in the shot put and discus. After reaching 14.71m (48'3.25") in the shot put, Walker followed up with a career-best toss of 44.56m (146'2") in the discus.
 
Similarly, senior Hayden Dillow (Franklin, Mass.) finished fourth in both the shot put and discus, hitting 14.35m (47'1") and 42.46m (139'4").
 
Freshmen Jonathan Vixamar (Easton, Mass.) and Ian Camerato (Mount Laurel, N.J.) both registered personal best distances in the discus. Camerato landed in sixth overall with a 41.56m (136'4") mark, while Vixamar took 13th with 34.09m (114'6").
 
Vixamar followed up his career toss in the discus with an eighth-place finish in the shot put after hitting 13.46m (44'2").
 
Capping the afternoon in the throws, senior Sean Trott (Lowell, Mass.) took fifth overall with a 14.00m (45'11.25") hurl.
 
In the sandpit, the duo of senior Elie Kalambayi (Lynn, Mass.) and junior Evans Oduro (Kumasi, Ghana) leapt to top marks in the triple jump and long jump. Oduro finished with a second-place leap in the triple jump and a third-place mark in the long jump. Kalambayi kept close to his teammate, landing in fourth in both events.
 
Sophomores Maxwell Davis (Stoneham, Mass.) and Michael Makiej (Andover, Mass.) held it down for the River Hawks in the pole vault and high jump. Launching himself over the bar, Davis soared over the 4.15m (13'7.25") height to take fifth overall. Back in his hometown, Makiej cleared 1.88m (26'2") in the high jump to finish second.
 
Taking to the track, UMass Lowell saw several personal-best marks across the sprint and middle distances. Leading it off, freshman Landen Vaillancourt (New Ipswich, N.H.) as well as sophomores Hunter Marion (Templeton, Mass.), Henry Farrington (Essex Junction, Vt.) and Tyler Sullivan (Walpole, Mass.) logged their fastest time in the 1,500m. Rookie Vaillancourt crossed first for the River Hawks, clocking a 3:58.77 time good for second overall. Not long after, Sullivan toed the line in 4:00.76 to earn fourth. Marion followed with a 4:02.30 time to land him in sixth. Closing out the quartet of career marks, Farrington registered a 4:13.18 pace to earn 13th in the field.
 
UMass Lowell commanded the sprints with six runners logging top-three times. Tackling the 100m, junior Michael Blake (Hudson, Mass.) displayed his explosive speed with an easy 10.75 pace to claim first. A pair of River Hawks – junior Thomas Jordan (Needham, Mass.) and graduate student (Wilmington, Mass.)—earned first and third in the 200m after crossing in 21.99 and 22.26, respectively. Sophomore Rodrigo Freitas (Billerica, Mass.) logged a top-three mark of his own as he snagged second in the 400m in 51.30.
 
Sophomore Zachary Lalonde (Tewksbury, Mass.) mirrored the success of his fellow sprinters to claim first in the 110m hurdles and fourth in the 400m hurdles. Just ahead of Lalonde in the longer hurdle race, junior Shawn Stairs Jr. (Acworth, Ga.) rounded out the sprints with second after stopping the timer at 56.00.
 
Freshmen Nate DeAngelo (Bristol, Conn.), Timothy Brigham (Holden, Mass.) and Adnan Abdirahman (Dorchester, Mass.) showed out for the middle distance and distance squads. DeAngelo dominated in the 800m, breezing by the competition to claim first with a 1:57.28 time. Representing the distance contingent, Abdirahman and Brigham held strong in the 3,000m to finish one-two off 8:55.57 and 8:55.69 times, respectively.
 
The River Hawks end the week with a visit down to the Garden State on Friday, April 15, as three runners compete in the op