May 17, 2009
Complete Results
PRINCETON, N.J. - The George Mason track and field team had a strong showing at this weekend's IC4A and ECAC Track and Field Championships, which concluded Sunday at Princeton University's William Weaver Stadium. At a meet where the Patriots competed against some of the best athletes up and down the East Coast, Mason added two NCAA regional qualifiers to its tally.
Junior Sam Horn had the strongest showing for the men, finishing second in the 800-meter run preliminaries with an NCAA regional-qualifying time of 1:49.29. That mark gave him a spot in the finals, where he placed sixth with a time of 1:52.38. Freshman Rachaunn Ruffin also had a top-eight finish in the preliminary round, finishing third in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.67. However, Ruffin did not enter Sunday's final.
The men's 4x400-meter relay of sophomore Kevin Wilson, junior Marcus Wyche, freshman Tyler Golden and freshman Tom Troxell finished 11th with a time of 3:14.61. Wilson and Golden each placed 16th in the 400-meter and 800-meter prelims, respectively, recording times of 48.05 and 1:51.28.
Another relay, the 4x800-meter squad consisting of senior John Crain, freshman Andrew McGreal, freshman Parker Boudreau, and senior Ryan Murphy, finished 21st as they crossed the line in 7:39.92. Finally, freshman LaVell Handy represented Mason in the field events with a jump of 13.97 meters in the triple jump, good for 23rd.
On the women's side, junior Tiara Swindell earned the Patriots' other NCAA regional berth, as she ran the 400-meter prelims in 54.20, clearing the qualifying standard with a sixth-place finish. She improved one spot in the finals, crossing the line in fifth place with a time of 54.82.
Senior Ryann Hendricks picked up a pair of top-five finishes, recording marks of 12.42 meters in the triple jump and 5.97 meters in the long jump. Those distances were good for third and fifth place, respectively. Freshman Grace Mavugara finished eighth in the triple jump, leaping to a distance of 11.95 meters.
Also scoring points for the Patriots was the women's 4x400-meter relay team, consisting of senior Crystal Lawrence, freshman Monique McKenzie, Swindell and freshman Zink. That group finished sixth place in the finals with a time of 3:47.31.
Two other Patriots competed at the weekend meet on the women's side. Sophomore Chia Hudson was 12th in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.37 and 17th in the long jump with a mark of 5.56 meters. Junior Marie Fields, meanwhile, placed 33rd in the 200-meter dash with a time of 25.38.
The Patriot athletes who have qualified for the NCAA Regionals, consisting of Horn, Hendricks, Ruffin, Swindell, and freshman Ja-Vell Bullard, will return to action in two weekends when the NCAA East Regional Championships take place at North Carolina A&T's Irwin Belk Track in Greensboro.
