HAVERFORD, Pa. – Senior Steve Thompson won the 800m, sophomore Christian Roberts won the mile, and SJU's 4x400m relay qualified for the IC4A Championships to lead the Saint Joseph's men's track and field squad to a second-place team finish at the season-opening Jack Pyrah Invitational, hosted by Villanova and held at Haverford's Alumni Field House on Saturday afternoon. The Hawks totaled 116 points, defeating Norfolk State (113 points) and La Salle (85). Villanova (138) won the meet.
Thompson cruised through the 800m in 1:58.08 to take the top spot in a field of 13. The win marks Thompson's fifth open 800 win of his career and third consecutive open 800m win at the Jack Pyrah Invitational.
Roberts made the first race of his sophomore track and field season a big one, clocking in with a collegiate-best time of 4:23.91 to take the top spot in a field of seven for his first collegiate win. Roberts' time was an entire 10.69 seconds faster than his fastest mile time as a rookie last winter.
SJU's top 4x400m relay of sophomore Justin Moscoe, senior David Henderson, senior Kenny Evely, and sophomore Trae' Robinson clocked in at 3:23.00, which converts to an IC4A-qualifying time of 3:19.82. The performance earned second in a field of 10 groups.
The Hawks took the top five spots and seven of the top nine spots en route to earning 36 points from their 800m group. Following Thompson's win, freshman Stephen McClellan earned second in his collegiate debut (1:59.07 PR), senior Dan Ferraiolo placed third (1:59.45), and sophomore Will Davies (1:59.91), sophomore Trae' Robinson (2:00.82), freshman Drayk Cassamajor (2:03.42 PR), and freshman Joshua Richard (2:04.11 PR) finished fourth, fifth, eighth, and ninth, respectively.
Led by junior Dylan Eddinger's third-place finish, SJU also earned 23 points from its 1000m group. Eddinger (2:32.83) led the scoring Hawks' quartet, followed by senior Dave Garton (2:36.87), junior Rory Houston (2:37.15 PR), and sophomore Joey Angelina (2:37.88 PR).
SJU earned 21 points from its milers. Following Roberts' win, junior John Podles placed fourth (4:46.72) and freshman Brendan Falzone took seventh (4:58.89 PR) to score for the Crimson and Gray.
Sprinters in open races combined for 13 points, as sophomore Justin Moscoe (36.14 PR) and senior Kenny Evely (36.28 PR) placed fourth and fifth, respectively, in the 300m to combine for 11 points, and senior Barren McCoy's eighth-place 500m finish (1:06.48) earned two points for the Hawks.
SJU scored in all three of its 4x400m relays as the Hawks earned second-, fourth-, and eighth-place finishes. Sophomore Aaron Lemma, McCoy, Ferraiolo, and Thompson (3:28.70) and Richard, Davies, Cassamajor, and McClellan (3:32.56) followed up SJU's second-place, IC4A-qualifying 4x400m relay.
In his collegiate debut, freshman Phillip Dwyer led the Hawks in a pair of jump events, placing fifth in a field of six in the high jump (1.80m PR) and eighth in a field of 10 in the long jump (5.84m PR), totaling seven points out of those two events for the Crimson and Gray.
Rookie Vincent Giordano added a point in the long jump (5.37m) with a 10th-place showing.
Saint Joseph's returns to action in the new year when the Hawks travel to the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island, N.Y. for the Wagner College Invitational on Friday, January 5th. The meet is slated to begin at 2:00 p.m.
MEET NOTES: Seven Hawks made their collegiate track and field debuts at the Jack Pyrah Invitational on Saturday... Drayk Cassamajor raced the 800m (8th, 2:03.42) and third leg of the 4x400m relay, Phillip Dwyer competed in the high jump (5th, 1.80m) and long jump (8th, 5.84m), Sebastian Eaton raced the 60m (15th, 7.33) and the 300m (12th, 36.82), Brendan Falzone raced the mile (7th, 4:58.89), Vincent Giordano raced the 60m (23rd, 7.53) and competed in the long jump (10th, 5.37m), Stephen McClellan raced the 800m (2nd, 1:59.07) and anchored the 4x400m relay, and Joshua Richard raced the 800m (9th, 2:04.11) and first leg of the 4x400m relay.
