Postseason Qualifiers Abound for Track & Field in Weekend at Moravian Invitational
Links: Results (Men | Women)
BETHLEHEM, Penn. – The Merrimack College men and women's track & field teams combined for 10 postseason-qualifying performances, highlighted by an NCAA provisional qualifying performance in the long jump from junior John Braga (North Reading, Mass.) and an NCAA automatic qualifying time in the 400m from junior captain Carly Muscaro (Ashland, Mass.), during a standout weekend from the Warriors at the Moravian College Greyhound Invitational in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania this weekend.
The Basics
Event: Greyhound Invitational
Top Finishers: Women: Muscaro (400m – 1st), Downey (400m hurdles – 1st) | Men: Braga (1st – LJ), Steinbrecher (3000m Steeple)
Location: Moravian College | Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
What They Said
Head coach Jacky Mendes, "One of the best weekends yet for the Warriors. From event winners, to numerous personal bests, to post-meet qualifiers at every level, Merrimack track & field seized so many moments at a wonderful meet. We are so proud of these athletes and cannot wait to see what they do next at MIT."
How It Happened
Competing at one of their largest meets of the season featuring 31 teams and nearly 2,100 athletes, the Warriors performed best on the biggest stage with one of their best complete performances of the season featuring eight New England (NEICAAA) Championship qualifying performances, NCAA provisional and automatic qualifiers, and four first-place finishes.
For the women, Muscaro continued her astounding junior season with a first-place finish in the 400m dash, breaking the meet and facility records at Moravian with the fastest time in the country this season in the event at 52.46. That time automatically qualifiers her for the NCAA Championships.
Junior Olivia Downey (Melrose, Mass.) also notched a first-place finish for the women in the 400m hurdles with an NEICAAA qualifying time of 1:03.06, falling just shy of her school record. A pair of freshmen in Mariessa Ricciardi (Holden, Mass.) and Katherine Tamulionis (Foxboro, Mass.) also shined in the event, finishing fourth and fifth in the field of 46, respectively. The rookies also registered NEICAAA-qualifying times of 1:04.54 and 1:05.07, which rank second and third on the school record board behind Downey.
The men's six postseason-qualifying performances were highlighted by Braga winning the long jump event with an NCAA provisionally qualifying jump of 7.35m, which marks a new school record. Two more Warriors excelled in the event, as senior Denzel Livingston (Billerica, Mass.) finished fourth with the second- best jump in program history behind Braga at 7.01m, while sophomore Kenny Clarke (Oakland, N.J.) finished fifth with the third-best jump in program history at 6.98m. All three of the performances qualified for the New England Championships.
Braga also posted and NEICAAA-qualifying time in the 400m hurdles, finishing fifth with a new school record of 55.93. Joining Braga as the other first-place finisher for the men was sophomore Keith Steinbrecher (Wading River, N.Y.), who won the 300m steeplechase with a time of 9:44.99, falling just over one second shy of his school record.
The final two NEICAAA-qualifying performances came from a pair of freshmen in their signature events. Michael Cuesta (South Portland, Maine) posted his performance in the triple jump, finishing third with a jump of 14.43m, setting a new school record. Jacob Robinson (Riverhead, N.Y.) qualified with a sixth-place finish in the 200m dash, also setting a new school record with a time of 22.08.
Up Next
The Warriors will participate in the world-renowned Penn Relays in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from Thursday, April 28 to Saturday, April 30.
--
For continuing coverage of Merrimack College Athletics, visit MerrimackAthletics.com and follow the Warriors on Twitter and on Facebook.
