Troy, N.Y. -- May 18, 2012 -- The Springfield College men's track & field team placed 16th of 63 scoring teams at the ECAC Division III Championships the past two days at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The top point scorer for the Pride included junior Zach Pietras who finished second in the 3000 meter steeplechase.Pietras, who hails from Ludlow, Mass., ran a time of 9:02.27, just 44 hundredths of a second behind the leader.
There were three other point scorers for the Pride. They included junior Ryan O'Connell (Middleboro, Mass.), who finished fourth in the 1500 meters with a time of 3:51.91.
Sophomore Orlando Harvey (Chicopee, Mass.) took a fifth in the shot put with a toss of 15.79 meters.
And junior Anthony Salvucci (Burlington, Mass.) placed eighth in the 5000 meters with a time of 15:53.64.
Pietras scored eight points, O'Connell five, Harvey four, and Salvucci one.
Others from SC who competed included the 4x800 relay team, which finished ninth, just missing out in the point-scoring; and the 4x100 relay team, which finished 22nd.
In addition, sophomore Parker Ashton-Young (Tolland, Conn.) placed 13th in the javelin with a toss of 49.92 meters.
Next week, a select few will travel to Claremont, California for the NCAA Division III Track & Field Championships.
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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