For Men's Track, There's No Place Like Home
April 5, 2003
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Maryland men's track and field team enjoyed home team advantage this Saturday, playing host to 12 other teams at the Maryland Invitational. In just their second meet of the outdoor season, the Terp athletes were able to turn in many great performances, culminating in a second place finish for the team.
Scoring in multiple events for the Terps was sophomore Rob Frelow, who finished seventh in the 200 meter dash. His time of 22.08 marked a new personal best, despite the slightly damp and slippery conditions. He also sprinted to a second place finish in the 400 meter run, posting a time of 48.17.
The distance events were strongpoints for the Terps, led by sophomore Florent Groberg, who took second in the 5,000 meter run with a time of 15:17.10. Freshman Pat McHenry, sophomores Nathaniel Zola and Matt Adami and freshman Dan Ryan finished fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth in that event, respectively. Junior Mike Prada finished third in the 1,500 meter run with a time of 3:59.47, followed less than one second behind by junior Doug Allen in fourth.
Other highlights from the track include junior Chris Ader taking ninth in the 400 meter hurdles with a time of 58.18, followed by sophomore Brandon Weirich in 10th and junior Daniel Hawthorn in 12th. Hawthorn also finished 10th in the 110 meter hurdles, running that event for the first time this season.
Scoring big for the team was sophomore thrower Beau Fay, who turned in three top-five finishes. He placed fourth in the shot put with a distance of 43-2.5 and second in the hammer throw with a distance of 144-1.5. In the discus throw, he tossed a 119-11 to finish third overall. Freshman Steve Williams was another contributor, taking fifth in the shot put and hammer and seventh in the discus.
In all, the Terps scored a total of 88 points, placing second behind Howard University who scored 114. American University rounded out the top three with a total of 73.5. The Terps hope to continue their positive momentum next weekend as they head to the Miami Gatorade Invitational in Miami, Fla.
