STORRS, Conn.—A busy Friday slate sent the UMass Lowell men's track & field team across the East Coast, taking on day one of the Northeast Challenge hosted by UConn as well as the Friar Invite hosted by Providence and the Larry Ellis Invite hosted by Princeton.
 
Representing the Mill City down in New Jersey, a small crew of River Hawks made their way down to the Larry Ellis Invite. Graduate student Sean O'Neill (New Egypt, N.J.) came within milliseconds of a new personal best in the men's 800m after finishing in 1:53.68.
 
Highlighting the afternoon, junior Joe Young (Dorchester, Mass.) and graduate student Joseph Walsh (Auburn, Mass.) both registered new personal bests in the 3,000m steeplechase to take fourth and seventh, respectively. Young shaved four seconds off his previous fastest mark to clinch a top-five spot with the 8:55.35 finish. With his time, Young has come closer to securing himself a spot at the NCAA East Prelims for the first time in his career. Walsh crossed not long after his teammate in the distance obstacle course, earning a top placement with his 9:03.41 pace.
 
"Joe [Young] and Joe [Walsh] had outstanding days at Princeton," remarked Head Coach Gary Gardner. Joe [Young] likely ran fast enough for the NCAA East Prelim qualifiers."
 
Down in Storrs, freshman Derek Munroe (Tewksbury, Mass.) tackled the first five events of the men's decathlon, ending day one in ninth place with 3,244 points. The River Hawks' throwing contingent kicked off their weekend in the discus and javelin throw. Junior Luis Cadime (Lowell, Mass.) launched the discus 45.03m (147'9") to claim a new personal best in the event and earn 16th place. Junior Zach Cardoso (Newton, N.H.) led the way in the javelin with a 55.32m (181'6") toss to take 11th overall.
 
The crew down in the Ocean State kept the UMass Lowell train going with a handful of top times and personal bests. Freshman Jonathan Stock turned in a second-place performance in the men's 800m to start them off, crossing in 1:50.61 for a new personal best. Sophomore Graham Stedfast (Rowley, Mass.) followed suit, clocking in at a career-best 1:52.64 mark for seventh place.
 
UMass Lowell picked up another trio of top-10 times in the men's 3,000m event. Junior Tyler Sullivan (Walpole, Mass.) cruised across the finish line in 8:28.06 to earn fifth place. Junior Hunter Marion (Templeton, Mass.) came in not long after his classmate in seventh place after posting an 8:30.98 finish. Rounding out the top 10, sophomore Adnan Abdirahman (Dorchester, Mass.) clocked in at a new collegiate-best time of 8:33.55 for tenth.
 
"We had lots of really great races [in Providence], commented Gardner. "Conditions were nearly perfect, and the team took advantage."
 
The River Hawks close out the weekend on Saturday, April 15, with the final day of competition at the 2023 Northeast Challenge hosted by UConn. The action kicks off at 11 a.m. with the men's decathlon.