March 9, 2008

BOSTON - Both the men's and women's track and field teams traveled to Boston, Mass. this weekend to compete at the first major championship meets of the 2008 indoor track and field season. The women's team earned its second consecutive top-10 finish at the ECAC Indoor Championships, placing fifth with 36 points, while the men's team finished 13th at the IC4A Indoor Championships with 20 points.

At the IC4A Championships, freshman Dwight Webley made a lasting impression in his first appearance at the meet, finishing as the runner-up in the long jump with a mark of 7.19 meters (23 ft. 7.25 in.) to finish as the top place winner for the Patriots. Webley, who also competed in the triple jump at the meet along with teammate Ryan McCoy, finished second to Delaware State's Larrone Moore, who jumped 7.24 meters (23 ft. 9 in.).

In the finals of the 500-meter run, junior Mutsa Nyakabau finished in seventh place with a time of 1:03.51. In the preliminary heats, Nyakabau set a new personal record by clocking in at 1:03.25 to earn a spot in the final 10.

Sophomore Michael Pachella placed in the top-five in the 800-meter run with a fourth-place finish in the event after clocking in at 1:51.07. Pachella advanced to the finals with a time of 1:51.12 in the preliminary heats. A pair of Seton Hall athletes, Robert Novak (1:50.561) and James Gurr (1:50.569), earned the top two spots after a photo finish to conclude the race.

Another sophomore, Sam Horn, ran his top time of the season in the preliminary heats of the 1000-meter run, crossing the finish line in 2:24.96. In the finals of the event, Horn placed fourth with a time of 2:25.51.

For the third consecutive year, junior Murielle Ahoure starred at the meet, capturing the 60-meter dash title for the third time in her career and the 200-meter dash for the second time on her way to being named the MVP of the meet for the second straight year. In the 60-meter dash, Ahoure ran the top time in all three rounds. In the preliminary heats, Ahoure ran a time of 7.43 seconds to move onto the semifinals, where she topped the field by clocking in at 7.42 seconds. In the finals, Ahoure crossed the finish line in 7.45 seconds to beat Connecticut's Trisha Anne Hawthorn, who recorded a time of 7.50 seconds.

In the 200-meter dash, Ahoure won her second straight championship by running a time of 23.74 seconds, her top time of the season, in the finals to blow away the field. The next closest competitor, Jernail Hayes of Seton Hall, finished the race in 23.98 seconds. Ahoure advanced to the finals with a time of 24.32 seconds in the preliminary heats of the event.

Sophomore Tiara Swindell advanced to the finals of the 400-meter dash, crossing the finish line in 55.09 seconds to finish third, behind Connecticut's Mandela Graves-Fulgh (54.54 seconds) and Seton Hall's Toneisha Friday (55.01 seconds). In the preliminary heats of the event, Swindell ran a time of 55.89 seconds.

Another Mason sophomore, Asia Odum, also finished in the top-five at the meet, advancing to the finals of the 60-meter hurdles, where she finished fourth with a time of 8.70 seconds. She advanced to the finals by finishing the race in 8.73 seconds in the preliminary heats and recording a personal best of 8.66 seconds in the semifinal round. West Virginia's Chelsea Carrier won the finals of the event with a time of 8.46 seconds.

In the jumping events, junior Ryann Hendricks earned a sixth-place finish in the triple jump with a leap of 12.10 meters (39 ft. 8.5 in.). In the long jump, freshman Chia Hudson placed seventh with a mark of 5.66 meters (18 ft. 7 in.). Hudson also ran in the 60-meter hurdles at the meet.

The 2008 men's and women's indoor track and field season will conclude next weekend with the NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships, scheduled for March 14-15 at the Randal Tyson Track Complex on the campus of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Ark.