Westfield, Mass. – March 24, 2012 - The Springfield College men’s track and field team opened its outdoor season with a fifth place finish at the Jerry Gravel Classic hosted by Westfield State. American International won the team event with 170 points. Westfield State (110 points), Coast Guard (80), Utica (72), and Springfield (64) rounded out the top five. Mason Durant and Ryan Ux were top finishers for the Pride men. Durant took second place in the shot put with a launch of 14.64 meters and Ux was the runner up in the javelin throw with a toss of 57.76 meters.
Orlando Harvey also contributed in the shot put, finishing two spots behind Durant at 14.25 meters. Parker Ashton-Youngs battled with teammate Ux in the javelin and placed fourth at 54.22 meters.
Joe Geurds and Corey Hamel ran well in the 3000 meter steeplechase, as Geurds took third at 10:24.34 and Hamel finished fourth in 10:56.66. Dale DeCouta added a fourth place finish in the high jump with a leap of 1.81 meters, and Travis Samuels took fifth in the triple jump with a measurement of 12.48 meters.
The Pride head to Tufts University next Saturday for the Snowflake Classic.
Ken Klatka, just inducted into the Springfield College Athletic Hall of Fame in October, 2011, enters his 37th season as head coach of the men’s track and field program in 2012-2013. He ranks among the nation’s most successful coaches, with an overall record of 442 wins, 144 losses, and two ties for an impressive .753 winning percentage. Under his direction, Kevin Coyle '12 won the 2011 Division III Indoor Long Jump National Championship.
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