BOSTON, Mass. – UMass Lowell heads to Boston, where they will host the River Hawk Invitational at the TRACK at new balance today, January 24, and on January 25. The men's track and field team will compete on just the first day. 

"As a team, we ran well, and it's that time of the year where some people are a bit tired from the high rate of work, while others handle it and excel," mentioned Head Coach Gary Gardner. "We saw a bit of both today, but overall it was positive."

Gardner expressed his thoughts on the TRACK at new balance saying, "It's always exciting to host meets in conjunction with New Balance because they are great partners and help put together quality events."

The 60m hurdles prelim unfolded the River Hawk Invitational, as the first running event of the day. Four River Hawk hurdlers competed, with senior Luke Stelmach (Sterling, Mass.) taking the front in 13th place at 8.56. Sophomore Brandon Riley (Weymouth, Mass.), junior Tristan O'Riorden, and junior Derek Munroe (Tewksbury, Mass.) also ran in the event. 

Sophomore Evan Imasogie (Lowell, Mass.) showed how assertive he is by taking fifth place in the 60m dash prelim at a time of 6.95. Neck and neck, Brandon Riley finished right behind Imasogie by a difference of 0.01, in sixth place at 6.96, while sophomore Daniel Kennedy (Tolland, Conn.) took seventh, also by a margin of 0.01, at a time of 6.97. Freshman Iyanuoluwapo Omisore (Lagos, Nigeria) was the last of the UMass Lowell runners to qualify for the final heat, claiming eighth at a time of 6.98. Graduate student Baijeon Bookal and graduate student Aras Kaya (Winchester, Mass.) were both shy by less than 0.05 from qualifying, with Bookal taking 12th at 7.00 and Aras Kaya in 17th at a time of 7.03. Also running in the prelim are freshman Dmitrius Shearrion (Taunton, Mass.), junior Brett Earle (Baldwinville, Mass.), Stelmach, and Munroe. Proceeding to the 60m dash, Kennedy would claim a top-3 finish for the River Hawks, at a time of 6.90 for third-place. Following were Brandon Riley (5th, 6.91), Imasogie (6th, 6.91), and Omisore (7th, 6.96).

The next event included the one-mile run, where two UMass Lowell long-distance runners finished within the top seven. Junior Sean Kennedy-Wonneberger (East Haddam, Conn.) crossed the line at a time of 4:10.40, taking fifth place, while graduate student Paul Neilan followed in sixth, just a second apart at 4:11.10. Freshman Devin Moreau (Tyngsboro, Mass.) was next, claiming 18th with a time of 4:15.77, and sophomore Nicholas Marcotte (Hudson, N.H.) rounded out the River Hawks in the top 25. Senior Adnan Abdirahman (Charlestown, Mass.), freshman Dante Castellano (Nashua, N.H.), junior Joshua Rivers (Manchester, N.H.), sophomore Keegan Tierney (East Greenwich, R.I.), sophomore Timothy Walsh (Auburn, Mass.), and senior TJ Glowik (Danvers, Mass.) also ran in the one-mile run event.

Two River Hawks competed in the 400m dash invitational, with freshman Michael Fisher (Wallingford, Conn.) dashing past the line at 49.33, taking 13th, while sophomore Anthony Massari (Dumont, N.J.) was next in 14th place with a time of 49.34. 

The 400m dash open came after, with freshman Liam O'Keefe (Trumbull, Conn.) as the lone runner in the event, claiming a seventh-place finish at a time of 51.61. 

Senior Graham Stedfast (Rowley, Mass.) took authority and posted a personal best in the 800m run, finishing in first place overall at a time of 1:51.00. Two more UMass Lowell runners claimed top-7 finishes, with junior Basit Iddriss (Milford, Mass.) taking third at 1:53.10 and freshman Gabriel Sisk (West Hartford, Conn.) in seventh place with a time of 1:54.73. Graduate student Tanner Jellison (Wakefield, Mass.) crossed the line at 1:57.27, finishing in 17th. Also running in the 800m event are freshman Tyler Rothrock (Allentown, Pa.) and sophomore Pedro Mayol (Lincoln, R.I.).

Showcasing his hustle all the way to the line, Junior Hatim Boukhtam (Abington, Mass.) would finish just a second away from first in the 1000m run, clocking in at 2:24.91 for second place. Freshman Isaac Henderson wasn't far behind, claiming sixth at a time of 2:28.78, while freshman Tyler Young (Marion, Mass.) took 11th with a time of 2:30.93, and freshman Jamie Lano (Strafford, N.H.) finished in 13th place at 2:31.57. Other River Hawks to crack the top 25 were senior Sean Riley (Wilmington, Mass.) (15th, 2:31.90), freshman Sean Kerin (Walpole, Mass.) (16th, 2:31.95), and graduate student Jake Connolly (Weymouth, Mass.) (23rd, 2:34.30). Other runners included freshman Dylan Brenn and junior Hale Boyden (Barnet, Vt.).

O'Riorden claimed 25th place in the 200m dash invitational at a time of 22.29. Kennedy, Shearrion, and Earle also ran in the event. 

In the 200m dash open, Imasogie led the way for the River Hawks, finishing in eighth place after crossing the line at 22.28. Aras Kaya also competed, following behind in 17th with a time of 22.41.

The 3000m run was led by graduate student Hunter Marion (Templeton, Mass.), who made his mark by taking fifth place at a time of 8:22.67. Flowing behind, freshman Patrick Hall (Billerica, Mass.) finished 21st at 8:39.30, graduate student Henry Farrington (Essex Junction, Vt.) finished 22nd at 8:39.31, and freshman Anthony Verdi (Frederick, Md.) crossed at 8:40.90 for 26th place. Also running, sophomore David McKinnon (Bloomsbury, N.J.), sophomore Dean Allen (Chelmsford, Mass.), junior Daniel Burns (Billerica, Mass.), and freshman Noah Gomes D'Sa (Attleboro, Mass.)

Three different teams competed in the 4x400 relay for UMass Lowell, with the first group claiming third place of the bunch at a time of 3:19.82. This group consisted of Massari, Fisher, Shearrion, and Earle. Next, the River Hawks B group finished in fifth with a time of 3:20.98 as Jellison, Sisk, Stedfast, and Kerin made up the group. The last team for UMass Lowell, C group, was composed of Sean Riley, Mulligan, Rothrock, and Conolly, who took 18th place at 3:35.05.

A lone runner in sophomore Seyha Rath (Lowell, Mass.) competed in the last running event of the day, the 5000m run, where he crossed the line at 15:53.54 for 22nd place. 

The weight throw made up the first fielding event of the day, with junior Peter Gardikas (Peabody, Mass.) as the lone thrower for UMass Lowell, finishing in 43rd with a mark of 10.45 m.

Senior Ben Ayotte (Salisbury, Mass.) launched his way to a 5.87 mark in the long jump event, taking 35th place. Sophomore Kuzey Kaya (Winchester, Mass.) also jumped in the event.

Freshman Sawyer O'Riorden (Stow, Mass.) claimed 20th place after elevating to a mark of 4.13m in the pole vault. Munroe finished in 21st with a 4.13m mark, with graduate student Daniel Cuddy (Hudson, Mass.) taking 22nd at a 3.98m mark. 

Sophomore Shane Exilhomme (Orlando, Fla.) excelled past his limits, posting a personal best, when he leaped his way to a 1.96m mark in the high jump, finishing in ninth place. Stelmach jumped to a 1.86m mark, taking 24th place. Also jumping in the event were freshman Camren Allain (Carver, Mass.) and Brandon Riley. 

A top-seven finish occurred in the triple jump for the River Hawks, with graduate student Brandon Williams (Severn, Md.) jumping to seventh place with a mark of 13.73m. Behind was freshman Jack Shepherd, who finished in 13th after jumping for a mark of 12.75m. 

The last fielding event of the day was shot put, with senior Ian Camerato (Mount Laurel, N.J.) in front for UMass Lowell, throwing for a mark of 13.65m, taking 17th place. Junior Mukanya Kazadi (Woburn, Mass.) also threw, claiming 21st at a mark of 13.37m.

UMass Lowell will look to travel back to the Track and Tennis Center for the Terrier Invitational, hosted by Boston University, on Friday, January 31, and Saturday, February 1.