STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Stacked with veterans and featuring the debut of a rookie newcomer on the anchor, SJU's 4x800m relay qualified for the 2019 IC4A Indoor Track and Field Championships to lead the Saint Joseph's men's track and field squad to a tie for fifth, with LIU Brooklyn, in a field of nine teams at the Hawks' season-opening Fastrack Metro Season Opener, held at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex on Saturday evening. The Hawks earned 54 total points in their first opportunity to race this indoor season.
SJU's 4x800m relay of senior captain Dylan Eddinger, senior captain Rory Houston, graduate student captain Barren McCoy, and freshman Javier Linares cruised to a time of 7:46.03, which was good for second place and eight points for the Crimson and Gray and made IC4A qualification by over seven seconds.
Saint Joseph's 4x400m relay of freshman Michael Welde, junior captain Justin Moscoe, freshman Kris Edobi, and freshman Michael Szwed crossed in 3:20.89, good for second place and eight points on the evening. The Hawks' second unit of senior Jake Wolfe, freshman Harrison Antone, freshman Joe Cassidy, and freshman Daniel Boyle finished with a seventh-place, two-point performance in 3:30.99. Both groups finished third out of their sections.
In all, the Hawks earned 18 of their 54 total points out of the relays.
Moscoe (50.12 PR), Welde (50.14 PR) and Edobi (50.34 PR) would also go fifth, sixth, and seventh, respectively, in the open 400m to combine for nine points.
After missing all of last indoor and outdoor season due to injury, redshirt freshman George Steinhoff turned in a third-place finish in the mile in his collegiate track and field debut, crossing in 4:19.62. Junior Christian Roberts followed up in fourth (4:22.66) as the pair combined for 11 points for the Crimson and Gray,
The Hawks saw six points come from its 1000m group, as junior Joey Angelina (2:36.24), junior Colin Parker (2:36.75), and freshman Aidan Sauer (2:36.93 PR) went sixth, seventh, and eighth, respectively, for six points. Sophomore Joshua Richard took home a fifth-place, four-point finish in the 800m (2:00.81) while graduate student Anthony Morelli added three points out of the 3000m with a sixth-place showing, in 9:02.13.
Sophomore Sebastian Eaton (22.96) and junior captain David Bryant (23.01) placed seventh and eighth, respectively, in the 200m to combine for three points while, also of note, freshman Gregory Anderson led all Hawks in the 60m, clocking in at 7.25 in his collegiate debut.
The Hawks will return to action at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in the new year, at the Wagner College Invitational on Friday, January 4. Events are set to begin at 2:00 p.m.
