BRYCEN SPRATLING (PITT)
200 & 500 METER CHAMPION
MOST OUTSTANDING MALE PERFORMANCE
Championship season began last weekend with the Big East Indoor Conference Championship. There were plenty of noteworthy performances and a great team battle.
The Big East has often been known as a solid distance conference. With programs such as Villanova, Notre Dame, Georgetown and Providence the conference’s history is rich is national success.
Providence senior David McCarthy had the best performance of the meet for distance runners. The senior claimed the men’s 3,000 meter title with a meet record of 7:57.50. Mark Carroll a Providence Alumni held the record since 1995. Andrew Springer of Georgetown who finished second also broke the meet record with his time of 7:59.55. The pair was the only two runners to break the 8 minute barrier.
Villanova entered into the winner’s circle thanks to a solid performance by junior Hugo Beamish. Beamish clocked in at 14:06.40 to win the men’s 5,000 meter race over his teammate and senior Ryan Sheridan. These two helped add 18 points to Villanova’s third place finish.
Notre Dame, the team of the weekend also had a solid showing in the distance events. Junior Jeremy Rae outkicked Villanova sophomore Sam McEntee to claim the men’s mile race in 4:05.48.
In the sprints Notre Dame had a solid showing. George Atkinson III scored big points for Notre Dame finishing 5th in the 60 meter dash and 3rd in the 200 meter dash. It was teammate Patrick Feeney however that took that claimed the 400 meter title in a time of 46.97. The 60 meter dash was not an event that scored highly however.
South Florida saw their 60 meter sprinters go 1-2 in the event with footballer Lindsey Lamar claiming the title clocking in at 6.78. Lamar was first out of the blocks and ran a solid race through the finish line. His teammate both in track and football, Kayvon Webster finished 2nd with a time of 6.83.
Neither of the two footballers were present in the men’s 200 meter dash. Brycen Spratling took full advantage and had the best weekend for a sprinter. Spratling used his long sprinting ability to outkick Jaquan Holland of Syracuse. Spratling’s winning of 21.16 is one the fastest times in Big East history indoors. Spratling also claimed the men’s 500 by setting a NCAA collegiate record clocking in a 1:00.63. The talented sophomore also competed the 60 meter dash to finish 6th.
The hurdles has the nation’s premier star in the event. Jarret Eaton, currently ranked number 1 in the men’s 60 meter hurdles and is few hundredths of second away from setting a NCAA record. Eaton has an amazing blend of speed, technique and poise. Eaton continued his success by claiming the conference title clocking in a NCAA automatic qualifying 7.70. As great as that time is, it pales in comparison to his season’s best of 7.49. Has Eaton lost steam? More than likely no, he just did not take his competition seriously.
The field events had solid winning performances. Tim Nedow of DePaul stood out however. Nedow a senior shot put thrower who defeated his completion by almost 10 feet. Nedow reached a mark of 67 feet and 3 ½ inches. The closest competitor was his teammate Matt Babicz who threw for 58-4 ¾.
Heptathlete Jake Waruch of Connecticut defeated Neamen Wise of South Florida in a close battle. Waruch and Wise were at the top for majority of the events and it took the 1,000 meter run to decide who would be the victor. Waruch out-kicked Wise with a time of 2:42.46. Waruch scored a total of 5,479 points to help lead the Connecticut Huskies to 2nd place overall.
Senior Kevin Schipper added to Notre Dame’s win column by claiming the pole vault with a leap of 17-2 ¾. Schipper’s 10 points were a solid contribution to the team total of 123 to claim their 5th Big East Conference title.
JARRET EATON (SYRACUSE)
60 METER HURDLE CHAMPION
