April 10, 2011
DURHAM, NC - The La Salle track team posted six ECAC/IC4A qualifying performances this weekend in the very competitive Duke Invitational held this weekend at Wallace Wade Stadium.
"We compete in a very tough region, and this weekend the best competition in our region was on display at this event," said head coach Charles Torpey. "I was happy with how our team competed, we posted some impressive times."
Perhaps the most impressive performance came from the men's 1500-meter racers, with four top-20 times posted by La Salle. Nick Crits and Nick Ross each made IC4A qualifying marks and finished third and sixth, respectively. Sean Mallon and Paul Reilly also had top-20 finishes and impressed their head coach in doing so.
"The 1500 guys did well and competed against a great field," said Torpey. "Those times were really good."
Crits, Ross, Mallon and Reilly also contributed to La Salle's efforts in the 4x800-meter relay with two La Salle teams finishing in the top five. The team of Mallon, Crits, Colin Barrett and David Laratta finished second in the event and posted an IC4A qualifying time with a mark of 7:34.33.
Not far behind was the team of Ross, Reilly, Terrence McPeak and Wayne Bartholomew who finished fourth with a time of 7:36.44. McPeak also posted an IC4A qualifying time in the 800-meter, finishing sixth overall with a mark of 1:51.10.
"The relays had a great meet," Torpey added. "We had two teams that were right there. It showed that we have good depth in that area."
On the women's side, the distance runners continued to build on an already impressive season with a pair of 3,000-meter runners posting ECAC qualifying marks.
Meghan McGlinchey continued her strong rookie year in the outdoor realm with a fourth place overall finish and a time of 9:44.22. Teammate Stephanie Bearish also qualified for ECAC's with a time of 9:47.07, good enough for a fifth place overall finish in the event.
"Those two ran great in the women's 3k," said Torpey. "It's all relative to who you race with. There were great people in that race and they finished near the top."
Caitlin Storebeck also had a phenomenal meet, posting a fifth place finish and qualifying for ECAC's in the 1500-meter with a time of 4:26.44. Storbeck also contributed in the 800-meter, winning her heat and finishing 22nd overall wtih a mark of 2:14.36.
"Caitlin had a very impressive performance this weekend. Her times were great and she continues to improve each week," Torpey added.
La Salle will switch gears next weekend and give some of their top distance runners a breather as the remainder of the team will compete in a meet next Friday night at Bucknell followed by a Saturday afternoon meet at Moravian.
"If we keep moving forward, then this is was a great event for us," Torpey said. "They competed hard and I'm excited to see us continue to grow as a team."
