University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Atlantic 10 Championship (Day 2)
UMass Men's Track Claims Fifth At Atlantic 10 Championship
May 03, 2015 | Men's Track & Field
FAIRFAX, Va - The UMass men's track & field program celebrated its best team finish in the Atlantic 10 Championship since 2011 this Sunday in Fairfax, Va. Balanced scoring and one Atlantic 10 record broken propelled the squad to a fifth-place showing with 76.50 points, while host George Mason took the title with 190.50 points. Leading the Minutemen's top-eight finishers, Benjamin Groleau won his first A-10 title in the 1,5000 meter run and broke an Atlantic 10 record that had been untouched since 2006.
Groleau took Gold in the 1,500 meter run with a time of 3 minutes, 48.43 seconds, a New England and IC4A-qualifying run. In addition to setting a new A-10 Championship record, it ranks as the fifth all-time mark in the UMass record book. Cory Thomas placed seventh in the event at 3:52.42, a New England-qualifying performance.
Nick Ingham and Greg Copeland had stellar performances in decathlon. Ingham finished third with 6,427 points and Copeland took fourth at 5,844 points. Ingham's score was a personal best improved his No. 4-ranking mark in the UMass record book.
In addition to Groleau and Thomas, the Minutemen had four more individual scoring performances on the track. Michael McNaughton crossed the line sixth in the 800 meter run with a 1 minute, 53.99-second performance. Peter Farlow was sixth in 400 meter hurdles at 54.48-seconds, a New England qualifier, while Zack Grube finished top-eight in both the 110 meter hurdles and the 400 meter hurdles, placing fifth (15.19) and eighth (56.96), respectively.
In the field events, Kris Horn cleared a height of 6 feet, 6.25 inches, to claim fourth in the high jump. Deion Arneaud finished seventh with a 46 foot, 8 inch leap, a New England qualifier, in the triple jump. In the discus, Brett Davies threw 144 feet to earn sixth place.
All three of the Minutemen's relay teams scored points. The 4x100 meter relay of Cory Adelson, Youssef Elkorchi, Patrick Farnham, and Arneaud took seventh at 42.85-seconds. The 4x400 meter relay team of Austin Peters, Arneaud, Farnham, and Alexander Finestone finished seventh at 3 minutes, 20.55-seconds and the 4x800 meter relay squad of Thomas, Groleau, Andrew Burke, and Russell Wells teamed for a 7 minute, 38.20-second, an IC4A-qualifying run that was good for fourth at the meet.
Next up for UMass comes the New England Championship this Friday, May 8, in Boston, Mass. The competition is scheduled to span two days and is slated to begin at 2:00 p.m.
