Men’s Track Competes At Collegiate Invitational
Meet Results
NEW YORK – The University at Albany sent its men’s and women’s track teams to the Armory in New York City for the second consecutive week. After competing in last weekend’s Columbia Invitational last weekend, the Danes returned to the Armory, for the decidedly larger Armory Collegiate Invitational. Where last week UAlbany competed against a handful of teams, Collegiate draws a field numbering around 100 or so opposing squads.
Collegiate, the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Division I National Meet of the Week, was UAlbany’s first two-day meet on the schedule, the first to mimic the format of the America East Championships, which will also be hosted at the Armory.
The Danes faced their toughest competition of the year, and competed across three different divisions during the meet: eastern, college, and championship. Freshman Youssef Benzamia won the college section of the long jump in 24’-5.75”. The mark launches Benzamia into second place on UAlbany’s all-time indoor list, tied with Frederick Casimo’s mark from 2010. Benzamia was joined in victory with fellow freshman Kingsley Ogbonna, who won the eastern section of the high jump in 6’-9”.
In the preliminary round of the college 60, senior Donald Williams qualified sixth with a 7.05. He returned in the finals, placing second with a 6.94. Sophomore Rudje Beckford qualified ninth in prelims of the college 60 hurdles with an 8.45, and placed seventh in the finals with an 8.40.
Sophomore Jason Tomlinson qualified fifth in the college 400 with a time of 48.59, a mark that places him seventh on UAlbany’s all-time indoor list. He then placed third in the finals with a time of 48.61. Junior John DeLallo took seventh place in the championship section of the 1,000, with a time of 2:25.82. Freshman Nathan Heitt took fourth in the college pole vault with a mark of 15’-11”. In the championship section of high jump, junior Alexander Bowen placed seventh with a jump of 6’-10.75”.
Junior Peter Schweitzer took 10th place in the college mile, finishing in 4:18.84. Senior Youness Benzaid placed fourth in the college 800 with a time of 1:53.06. Senior teammate Larry Ramirez finished just behind Benzaid in 11th place with a time of 1:53.71.
Both UAlbany men’s relays performed admirably. The 4×400 team of Taariq Jones, Jeremiah Obeng-Agyapong, Tomlinson, and Daryl Subran took second in the New Jersey/New York section, with a time of 3:15.98. And in the championship section, the 4×800 team of DeLallo, Benzaid, Andrew Pirnie, and Ramirez, won the event in 7:33.12. The Danes beat two high quality teams, Mississippi State and French squad Laval, with Benzaid providing the fastest UAlbany split at 1:51.7.
Additional performances of note include Jones, who ran 48.46 in the championship section of the 400 to place 14th. Senior Matthew Catera placed 11th in the college 60 hurdles with an 8.46. UAlbany’s three athletes in the college 200, senior Winston McCormack, Williams, and freshman Robert Harris III, ran 22.33, 22.60, and 22.71 respectively. Senior Kareem Morris doubled in the championship sections of the 60 and the 200, running 6.96 and 22.26 respectively, placing 32nd and 23rd. Sophomore Austin Lane placed 11th in the eastern 3,000 with a time of 8:45.71. Junior teammate Chris Buchanan placed 15th in the college 3,000 in 8:29.78. Senior Abel Gilet placed 30th in the championship weight throw, with a mark of 52’-5.25”. He also competed in the championship section of the shot put, throwing 47’-4.5” to again take 30th. In total, across all events, the men recorded 15 IC4A qualifying marks over the meet’s two days.
Next weekend, the Danes will either compete at the two-day NCAA Division I Invitational on the oversized track at the Spire Institute in Geneva, Ohio, or a select few will return to the Armory for the third consecutive week to compete in the Millrose Games. Two weeks from now, the Armory will host the America East Indoor Championships.
