WEST POINT, N.Y. – Sophomore Morrison Boateng (Bronx, N.Y./UAAHC) (Ghana) won both of his heats and set season-best times in the process to lead the Manhattanville men's and women's outdoor track and field teams at the Dick Shea Open, hosted by the U.S. Military Academy at Shea Stadium on a sunny Saturday afternoon.
Boateng had another good day in the sprints for Manhattanville, setting season-best times in both the 200 and 400 meter dashes. His best performance came in the 400, where he won his heat by 1.4 seconds and placed sixth out of 19 runners with a time of 52.96. The sophomore also cracked the top 20 in the 200 dash, crossing the finish line in a time of 24.43 that was over a second faster than the next runner in his heat.
Sophomore Mike Szarkowicz (Watertown, Conn./Watertown) (Watertown, Conn.) also had a good meet for the Valiant men, including setting a new career-best time in the 1,500 meters by crossing the finish line in 4:33.09 (23rd place). The time shaved nearly 3.5 seconds off his previous career best, which was set last week at Monmouth. The sophomore also made his first-ever appearance in the 800 meters, placing 32nd overall with a time of 2:19.68.
In the field events, freshman Alvin Roswell (Mount Vernon, N.Y./Mount Vernon) (Mount Vernon, N.Y.) made his outdoor debut in the discus toss, cracking the top 15 with a top toss of 25.81 meters on his third and final attempt. His participation made him the first Valiant field athlete to compete in an outdoor meet after also breaking the barrier indoors during the winter season.
Freshman Kelly Davidson (Yorba Linda, Calif.) turned in the Valiants' best performance on the women's side, as the first-year took over three seconds off last week's time in the 1,500 meters and crossed the line in 15th place with a time of 5:32.59.
Manhattanville also received top-15 results from senior Amanda Granata (Mahopac, N.Y.) and Pilar Mahady (Bedford Hills, N.Y.) in the grueling 5,000 meters, as Granata placed 12th with a time of 22:48.93 and Mahady finished next in 23:25.18 to claim 13th place.
The Valiants also had three representatives in the 800 meters, as freshman Olivia Maldonado (Port Washington, N.Y.) led the charge for the Valiants in 23rd place with a time of 2:56.57. Junior Patricia Neubauer (Potsdam, Germany) and freshman Nicole Muschio (Pawling, N.Y.) followed soon after in 24th (2:58.35) and 25th (3:19.58) place, respectively.
The Manhattanville track & field teams will be back on the road next weekend, as the team heads back to Wesleyan University for the Elmer Swanson Invitational beginning at 10 a.m.
