May 2, 2008

Results

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Behind four first-place performances among the six scored events during Friday's action, the Navy men's track & field team finished the opening day of the Patriot League Championship in first place with a score of 67 points on its home turf, Ingram Field.

Navy's first-day showing is 27 points more than second-place Bucknell's 40 points. Army, the 16-time defending Patriot League outdoor champion, stands in third place with 34 points. Lehigh stands in fourth place with 15 points, followed by American's 10 points, Colgate's nine points, Holy Cross's eight points and Lafayette's three points.

In addition to the four event titles on Friday, Navy advanced three of its own to the finals on Saturday in the 110-meter hurdles and 100-meter dash, as well as two in the 200-meter dash.

"We scored well and set ourselves up well for tomorrow with the qualifying times in the sprints today," stated Navy head coach Stephen Cooksey. "We had some big wins today --- especially in the pole vault - and have some stronger events coming up tomorrow."

Navy multi-event athlete Ron Belany (Sr./Haiku, Hawai'i) won one event, scored in another and qualified for Saturday's finals in two events. Belany began the day by winning the long jump with a career-best, NCAA regional-qualifying distance of 24'3-1/2" (7.40 meters). Meanwhile, he took to the track in the 110-meter hurdles and produced a blistering, NCAA regional-qualifying 14.26-second showing in the trials to advance to the finals. His time in the 110-meter hurdles was the fourth-best time in school history and the fastest clocking by a Navy hurdler in 32 years.

Less than an hour later, Belany came back for the 100-meter dash trials and, once again, earned a spot in the finals on Saturday. He crossed the finish line in a career-best, IC4A qualifying time of 10.80 seconds. He finished his busy afternoon in the pole vault, where he cleared 15'3" (4.65 meters) to finish fourth.

"Ron truly had a very good day for us," said Cooksey. "To record a personal record in three events, two of which were NCAA regional marks, that is a job well done."

Navy sprinter Shun White (Jr./Memphis, Tenn.) featured the field's fastest times in both the 100-meter and 200-meter dash events. White paced the field in the 100-meter dash with a career-best time of 10.62 seconds, followed by a 21.67-second clocking in the 200-meter dash, another personal record. Teammate Reggie Campbell (Sr./Sanford, Fla.) joined White as a qualifier for the finals in both events, finishing the 100-meter dash in 10.80 seconds and the 200-meter dash in 21.95 seconds.

"Shun had an incredible day in both events," stated Cooksey. "He ran each race so easy and relaxed. He never pressed during any point of either race and the times reflected that."

Navy began the day in fine fashion, placing first and third in the hammer throw. Mark Van Orden (So./Morris Plains, N.J.), the reigning Patriot League Field Athlete of the Week, uncorked a toss of 191'6" (58.36 meters) to win the event by 20'10" (6.33 meters). Teammate Christopher Bordino (Jr./Gastonia, N.C.) landed third with his distance of 169'0" (51.51 meters).

The Midshipmen claimed three of the top-four marks in the javelin throw. Bo Lawson (Sr./Newton, N.J.) out-threw the competition with his 199'8" (60.85 meters) effort into a steady headwind. Devan Clark (Fr./Lorton, Va.) placed third with a toss of 187'4" (57.11 meters), followed by Tim Gruber's (So./Grove City, Pa.) 184'11" (56.37 meters) performance.

Navy ended the day with a victory in the pole vault, as Kraegen Bramer (Sr./Auburn, Calif.) soared over the bar set at 15'9" (4.80 meters) on his first try to earn a place in the IC4A Championship.

The 4x800-meter relay of Ben Kozy (Sr./Houston, Texas), Lucas Burke (Sr./Bakersfield, Calif.), David Ash (Fr./Williamston, Mich.) and Craig Meekins (Sr./Baldwin, N.Y.) combined for a fourth-place time of 7:34.70, which also ranks as the eighth-fastest time in program history.

The Midshipmen will look to win their first Patriot League outdoor title during the second and final day of the championship tomorrow, starting at 9 a.m.