Fitchburg, MA – The CMCC Men's and Women's Track and Field teams traveled to Fitchburg State University for the Jim Sheehan Invitational in Massachusetts. Despite the wet and rainy conditions, several athletes set new personal bests for the team in just their second action of the outdoor season.
On the men's side, captain Shane Johansen fought through the conditions to set a new personal best in javelin with a throw of 85 feet, 2 inches, as he prepares for next weekend's decathlon. That was good for 27th in the event and sandwiched in between teammates Robert Spears (92 feet, 1 inch) and Hunter Holt (80 feet, 7 inches). Isaish Taylor went for 80 feet, 1 inch while Zachary Peirce had the best showing for the team in the event. The freshman placed 19th with a best toss of 106 feet, 8 inches.
Holt had a heave of 67 feet, 10 inches to place 15th overall in hammer throw, and went for 67 feet, 6 inches in discus to edge out Mark Schepici (56 feet, 1 inch). Four Mustangs competed in shot put with Johansen leading the way to finish 16th ahead of Spears, Holt, and Schepici.
Schepici, the sophomore captain from MA, had a busy but successful day. He set personal best marks in both the 3000m steeplechase, finishing 10th with a time of 13:51.07, and in the 5k with a run of 21:55.43 to place 18th.
Fellow Cross Country teammates Brosnan Comeau, Owen Heseltine and Peirce also represented the men on the track. Comeau finished 11th in the 1500 meters with a 4:34.61, followed by Heseltine in 18th place. Comeau then was blisteringly quick in the 800 meters, finishing the race in 2:15.76 to place 9th overall. Peirce, Heseltine, and Spears weren't far behind, all finishing within two seconds of each other.
In the sprints, Djordje Stanimirovic paced the squad in both the 100m and 200m dash events. He finished 29th in the 100m (11.95 seconds) and 25th in the 200m (25.05 seconds). Isaiah Taylor was 36th (12.26 seconds) and 31st (26.40 seconds) respectively.
Last were the jump events, with Johansen competing in high jump, long jump, and triple jump. The 2nd-Team All-American had the highest overall finish of any Mustang when he placed 3rd in triple jump with a best mark of 11.57 meters. He also nabbed a 5th in high jump after clearing 1.75 meters and ended his day 18th in long jump by reaching 5.43 meters. The sophomore appears to be hitting his stride coming off of offseason surgery.
There were also three women representing Central Maine at the meet. All three athletes were busy with at least three events each.
Destiny Mooers had an action-packed day competing in the 100-meter dash, long jump, and triple jump. The Hampden Academy product cracked the top 10 in long jump with a leap of 4.37 meters and placed 11th in triple jump with a best of 9.15 meters. She was also quickest on the team in the 100m, placing 14th with a time of 14.66 seconds ahead of Adriyanna Edge (15.07 seconds) and Marney Rees (15.88 seconds).
Edge and Rees also ran the 200-meter dash coming in 17th (32.63 seconds) and 19th (33.03 seconds) respectively. Edge wrapped up her day in the triple jump with a best of 7.49 meters. Rees had the longest afternoon by adding the shot put and hammer throw to her day. The Australian newcomer to the team was 20th in shot put, hitting 6.74 meters on her second toss. She placed 28th in the hammer throw with a best of 14.71 meters while battling the slippery conditions.
"The rain really impacted everyone, but it was a good day for our athletes to set some marks and practice competing in adverse conditions," said head coach Brian McDonald. "It was great to see some of the success from men's captains Shepici and Johansen, both hitting personal bests in several events. I'm excited to watch the distance team of Comeau, Peirce, Heseltine, and Spears as they continue to push their pace. Next week will showcase our entire sprint team, which will give us a good idea of where we are before the YSCC Championships."
The Mustangs stay in-state next weekend, traveling to the Saint Joseph's College of Maine in Standish for the two-day Monks Invitational. The action gets started on Friday, April 11th.
