University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
New England Championships
Cotto Defends New England Title, Men Finish 6th at NECs
February 27, 2011 | Men's Track & Field
Feb. 27, 2011
BOSTON, Mass. - The men's indoor track and field team concluded a two day affair at the New England Championships on Saturday being hosted by Boston University. Ken O'Brien and company placed sixth out of a field comprised of 35 teams ranging from across the Northeast. UMass posted a 44 point effort, as UConn and URI stole the top two spots.
Continuing his season of success, Tyler Cotto was re-crowned a New England Champion in the 60 meter hurdles for a second consecutive year. The senior posted a team season best time of 7.87, which is close to qualifying him for the NCAA Indoor Championships, as the determination will depend on performances from other competitors from across the nation. The New England Title comes just one week after the senior also claimed his first career A-10 Crown.
Always proving to be a strong point for the Minutemen, the relay squads concluded the Saturday meet, which ended a bit later than scheduled, around 5:15 pm. The 4x800 team comprised of Daniel Barry, Scott VanderMolen, Sean Duncan, and Joe Doyle worked together to finish second in the event with a time of 7:39.73. The 4x400 event featured the quad of Aaron Araujo, Michael McDonough, Nick Otis, and Paul Grafov. The foursome combined for a team time of 3:20.76, good enough for ninth place.
Zachary Koncki, the New England long jump Champion, from Friday was back at it in the 60 meter hurdles as well. The junior placed fifth in 8.34 and will compete at next weekend's IC4A Championships in both the long jump and hurdle event.
Junior jumper, Daniel Wu, participated in the men's triple jump on Saturday as he posted the best team mark this season, reaching a distance of 45-7.25. The mark was good enough to place eighth in the highly contested event.
Rounding out the field of strong finishes for the Minutemen was Grafov in the 500 meter dash. The sophomore crossed the line at 1:05.41, taking tenth place in the event.
The Minutemen will conclude the three week championship meet stretch this coming Friday and Saturday as the squad travels to the IC4A Championships. The meet, being held in Roxbury, Mass., is set to kick off at 10 am on both days of competition.
