STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Junior sprinter David Henderson led off the first-place, IC4A-qualifying 4x400m relay and turned in SJU's only IC4A-qualifying individual performance (400m) of the evening to lead the Saint Joseph's men's track and field squad at the Wagner College Invitational on Friday. The unscored meet was held at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex.
Henderson (48.7), senior Eddison Gulama (49.3), junior Barren McCoy (50.1), and senior Torey Doaty (50.0) cruised through the 4x400m relay in 3:18.39 to claim the title in a field of 24 groups. The Hawks improved upon their season-opening 4x4 time (3:22.13) by over three seconds and will use this current season-best time for IC4A seeding.
Henderson additionally qualified for the IC4A Championships in the 400m, clocking in at 49.19 for fourth in a field of 52.
Steve Thompson dominated the 800m with a second-place finish in a field of 65. The junior crossed the finish line in 1:56.69, just .23 seconds behind Central Connecticut's Richard Grudzwick.
In addition to racing on the first-place 4x4, McCoy also led three Hawks that finished in the top ten of the 500m, as McCoy (1:06.50), senior Brandon Ossont (1:06.90 PR), and junior Kenny Evely (1:06.99) took fifth, sixth, and eighth, respectively, in a field of 39.
In his first mile race since February of 2015, junior Dave Garton cruised to a time of 4:20.22 to lead all SJU milers with a fifth-place finish in a field of 88. Freshman Zach Michon (4:22.24), who won his individual heat, and junior Collin Crilly (4:24.53) placed seventh and 10th, respectively.
Senior Jimmy Daniels led 12 Hawks in the 3000m in a collegiate-best time of 8:36.23, which was good for ninth overall in the field of 58. The time is an improvement on his fastest 3k from last indoor season by over 14 seconds and crushes his previous collegiate-best time of 8:45.43, set during his freshman year, by over nine seconds.
Finishing second in his heat, senior Kevin Barry crossed the finish line of the 200m in 23.15, good for 17th overall in a field of 65.
Of note, freshman Justin Moscoe also turned in a strong performance in the 400m (51.26) with a 10th-place finish for the top rookie performance in the event.
Saint Joseph's returns to action at the Lehigh University Angry Birds Challenge next Saturday, January 14. The meet will be held at Lehigh's Rauch Fieldhouse in Bethlehem, Pa. and is tentatively scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m.
MEET NOTES: Freshmen Josh Clark (Mile, 4:33.05), Colin Gallagher (Mile, 4:39.32), Zach Michon (Mile, 4:22.24), and John Walker (Mile, 4:34.59) made their collegiate track and field debuts.
