Boston University
Last Chance Meet
Terriers Compete at Last Chance Meet
February 28, 2016 | Men's Track & Field
RESULTS
The men's & women's track & field teams continued their indoor season by hosting the Last Chance Meet at the TTC on Sunday, the final day of the season for athletes to qualify for the NCAA Championships.
Needing to finish with one of the top 16 results in the country in a given event to qualify for nationals, several Terriers entered the day with hopes of making the final cut.
In the closest qualifying event of the day, junior David Oluwadara entered the triple jump with a season best mark of 16.06 meters, just .01 meters off the NCAA qualifying distance of 16.07 meters. Oluwadara recorded a jump of 16.02m, good for second place on the day but short of the mark needed to qualify for NCAAs. Oluwadara's 16.06 meter (52' 8.25") school-record jump, set at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational, stands as the 17th longest triple jump in the nation this season.
Other Terriers trying to qualify for NCAAs included senior David Lagerberg in the 400 meter dash. Entering the meet with a top time of 46.88 in the event, Lagerberg needed a time of 46.29 or better to move on to nationals but finished with a time of 47.24.
Competing in the 3000 meters (7:52.66 needed to qualify), senior Kevin Thomas finished with a time of 8:09.08, good for third place on the day while senior Alec Olson finished fifth with a time of 8:11.30.
Freshman Alexander Seal competed in the 800 meters for the first time and finished first, with an excellent time of 1:49.12, but just short of the 1:47.72 NCAA qualifying time.
2016 Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year Matti Groll competed in the 1-mile and finished with a personal best time of 4:03.13 (3:58.22 to qualify).
On the women's side, senior Catherine Sampson, winner of the Patriot League pentathlon last week, competed in the high jump and finished in second place with a 1.60 meter jump (1.83m to qualify). Sampson also competed in the weight throw with a 9.55 meter toss (20.96m qualifying). Also competing in the weight throw, freshman Sarah Cicchetti recorded a 12.15 meter throw to finish in 2nd pace.
In addition to several athletes trying to qualify for nationals, the Last Chance Meet was also highlighted by a number of stars in the track & field world competing at the TTC. Olympic gold medalist Asafa Powell of Jamaica competed in the 60 meter dash and ran a 6.54, breaking the TTC facility record (6.60 set by Reggie Dixon, 2011). Powell is a former 100 meter world record holder (9.74) and a member of the 2008 Jamaican Olympic gold medal winning 4x100 relay team that included Usain Bolt.
Also competing on Sunday was women's Olympic champion and world record holder in the pole vault, Jenn Suhr, who attempted to break her own world record of 5.03 m (16'6"). Suhr attempted 5.07 meters (16'10") but didn't get over after 3 attempts.
In addition to Sunday's action, on Friday at the New England Championships, also held at the TTC, senior Reuben Horace finished third in the men's weight throw with a 18.80m (61'8.25") throw and senior Nikolaos Farmakidis took second in the pole vault with a 5.00m (16' 4.75") effort.
After Sunday's Last Chance Meet competition, junior Cameron Williams, BU's school record holder in the 200 meters, is the sole Terrier to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, which begin on March 11 in Birmingham, Alabama. Williams' 200m time of 20.58 at last week's Patriot League Championship remains the fifth-fastest 200 meter time in the nation this season.
BU will host the final event of the season at the Track and Tennis Center next weekend when the Terriers compete in the IC4A Championships (March 7-9).
