USF Bulls Invitational Results
TAMPA, FL – The Manhattan College men's and women's track & field teams began the outdoor season on Friday with a pair of meets. Manhattan sent a handful of field-event competitors to the Baldy Castillo Invitational in Tempe, AZ, while the Jaspers also took part in the USF Bulls Invitational in Tampa, FL.
At the USF Bulls Invitational, which was held at the University of South Florida's Track & Field Stadium, Kathy Cadet (Endicott, NY) finished fourth in the women's 400 meter hurdles. With a time of 1:02.81, she qualified for the ECAC Championships. In the women's 1500 meters, Lisa Fajardo (Brooklyn, NY) took sixth in 4:41.29 and Kelly Gorman (South Amboy, NJ) was 10th in 4:44.20. Alexa Roda (Staten Island, NY) also started her outdoor season strong, posting a time of 2:14.86 to place seventh in the 800 meters. Kaitlyn Smith (Effort, PA) secured 11th place in the event with a 2:16.88 clocking. In the 3000 meter steeplechase, Gianna Tinto (Kings Park, NY) posted a time of 13:10.97, which was good for eighth place.
Paige Chapman (Abingdon, MD) finished seventh in the 100 meters (12.24) and 12th in the 200 meters (25.15). She also ran the anchor leg on the Jaspers' 4x100 meter relay team that registered a time of 48.23 seconds. Cadet, Dayzondra Gonzalez (Monroe, NY) and Marisa Robbins (Goshen, NY) joined her on the sixth-place squad.
On the men's side, Nick Matson (Clifton Park, NY) won the 3000 steeplechase with a time of 9:44.01. John Dove (Monroe, NY) was seventh in the 800 (1:55.96) and Shane Beyer (Brick, NJ) captured eighth place in the 1500 (4:05.17). Akash Patel (Orlando, FL) added an eighth-place showing in the 400 (50.37).
Meanwhile, at the Baldy Castillo Invitational from Arizona State University's Sun Angel Stadium, Blerim Pocesta (Staten Island, NY) qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary Round in the hammer throw. Just one week after taking 14th place in the weight throw at the USA Indoor Championships, Pocesta opened his outdoor season by taking third in the hammer throw with a toss of 63.09 meters (207 feet).
Action at the Baldy Castillo Invitational continues at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday. Arizona State will be providing a live webcast of the track events, which get underway at 4 p.m. ET.
