Jan. 5, 2008

Complete Results

FAIRFAX, Va. - George Mason began its 2008 indoor track and field season on Saturday, hosting the Father Diamond Invitational at the Fieldhouse. Both the men's and women's teams started the season off strong, with each finishing second in the team scoring at the meet. A pair of seniors on the men's team, Brian Hay and Ryan McCoy, reached NCAA provisional qualifying marks at the meet.

Hay blew away the competition in the 60-meter hurdles, finishing first in both the preliminary heats and the finals. In the preliminary rounds, Hay ran a time of 7.97 seconds. He followed that up with an even better time in the finals, winning the race with a time of 7.85 seconds to reach the NCAA provisional qualifying standard and qualify for the IC4A Championships.

McCoy followed suit, reaching the NCAA provisional qualifying standard and qualifying for the IC4A Championships in the triple jump. He placed second in the event with a mark of 15.77 meters to begin the season, finishing second in the event to former George Mason standout Marc Kellman, who won the event with a mark of 15.93 meters.

Mason placed three athletes in the top-10 in the 500-meter dash. Competing in his first meet for the Patriots, freshman Kevin Wilson made an excellent debut in front of the home crowd at the Fieldhouse, winning the race and qualifying for the IC4A Championships with a time of 1:04.64. Junior Mutsa Nyakabau also qualified for the IC4A Championships in the event, finishing third with a time of 1:04.93. Junior Nate Harris also finished in the top-10, crossing the finish line sixth with a time of 1:06.66.

Sophomore Michael Pachella, the reigning CAA Rookie of the Year, got off to a strong start in his second season with the Patriots, earning a second-place finish in the 1000-meter run. Pachella clocked in with a time of 2:26.42 to qualify for the IC4A Championships in the event.

On the women's side, two individuals qualified for the ECAC Championships at the meet. Sophomore Tiara Swindell, last year's CAA Rookie of the Year, got off to a great start in her second season with the Patriots, winning the 500-meter dash with a time of 1:15.93 to reach the ECAC qualifying standard.

Freshman Chia Hudson also reached the ECAC qualifying standard at the meet. Hurdling in her first meet at the Fieldhouse, Hudson reached the finals of the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.93 seconds in the preliminary heats. In the finals, Hudson qualified for the ECAC Championships by finishing in fourth place, crossing the finish line in 8.83 seconds.

Hudson also competed in the long jump, winning the event with a jump of 5.69 meters. The Patriots placed three athletes in the top-10 in the long jump, as junior Ryann Hendricks finished third with a mark of 5.55 meters and sophomore Marie Fields recorded a mark of 5.36 meters to finish in seventh place.

Both the men's and women's teams enjoyed success in the relay events. The women's 4x400-meter relay team qualified for the ECAC Championships with a first-place finish, while the men's 4x800-meter relay team finished in first place as well.

Both the men's and women's track and field teams will compete at the Virginia Tech Invitational next weekend. The two-day meet will begin on Friday morning in Blacksburg, Va.