March 23, 2002

Complete Results

RICHMOND, Va. (www.lafayette.edu) - The Lafayette men's and women's track and field teams opened the outdoor season at the Virginia Commonwealth University Ram Invitational on Saturday.

Mary Gillis wasted no time making her mark in her freshman season. Gillis set a school record in the 3000-meter steeplechase with a time of 11:47.9. She finished fourth overall in the event. Sophomore Liz Hallowell placed seventh in the 200 in a time of 26:51.

The women enjoyed a strong day in the throwing events. Junior Jackie Bingham finished second in the hammer throw with a distance of 146'4". Bingham also placed sixth in the javelin (120'5"). Sophomore Maria Kinzel finished second in the javelin with a throw of 122'11". Freshman Larissa Bellamy recorded two top 10 finishes, placing seventh in the discus (110'9") and 10th in the shot put (37'6 3/4").

In the pole vault, junior Kim Miller finished fifth with a 8'11" effort. Senior Katie O'Connor claimed third spot in the triple jump, registering a 35'6" effort. O'Connor also turned in an eighth-place performance in the 400 hurdles (1:09.63).

The Lafayette men's day was highlighted by the performance of 4x100 relay team. The 4x100 foursome claimed the invitational title with a time of 42.44 and qualified for the IC4A Championships.

In the throwing events, senior Jim Fischer recorded three top 10 finishes. Fischer placed second in the shot put (49'6 1/4"), sixth in the hammer (153"3") and ninth in the discus (132'10 1/2"). Lafayette had two throwers place in the top 10 in the javelin with Ethan Blose finishing fourth (194'10") and Chris Fowler seventh (181'3"). Blose also placed seventh in the discus, joining sophomore Casey McKeen in fifth (138'3 1/2") and Fischer in ninth.

Junior Alvin Lyte came in fourth in the 200 to lead the Lafayette sprinters, running a time of 22.80. Freshman Ricky Jackson clocked a sixth-place finish in the 400 hurdles (57.04).

In the jumping events, junior Mark Brault came in fifth with a 13'9"effort. Freshman Rob Baroska also recorded a sixth-place finish in the high jump (6'3 1/4").

The Lafayette track and field teams returns to action on Saturday when they host St. Joseph's, Rider, Monmouth and Fairleigh Dickinson in a five-way meet at Fischer Field.