Lancers Reach Top Marks at Jerry Gravel Invitational

Worcester, MA- The Worcester State men's track and field team delivered a strong showing at the Jerry Gravel Invitational hosted by Westfield State today, with athletes from across the region contributing big performances.

First-year Kendrick Adusei (Worcester, MA) had himself a day, competing in both the 200m and the 400m. Adusei crossed the line seventh in the 200m with a time of 23.88 and backed it up with a fifth-place finish in the 400m, clocking a 54.09. He then anchored the A squad of the 4x400m relay,  a group that included sophomore Cole Berriault (Wareham, MA), junior Keenan Ansah, first-year Taylor Feliciano (Milford, MA), senior Alan Gomez (Clinton, MA), and sophomore Yael Lopez (Milford, MA), to a second-place finish with a time of 3:35.18, one of the team's best results of the day as a unit.

Also flying the Worcester flag was sophomore Caleb Berg (Worcester, MA), who put together a gritty multi-event performance in the throws. Berg placed seventh in the discus with a throw of 35.93m and added a strong showing in the hammer as well, giving the Lancers valuable points in the field events.

The sprints were a particular strength for Worcester State on the day. Senior Seth Boudreau (Douglas, MA) was simply dominant, sweeping the 100m and 200m — winning the 100m in 11.20 and the 200m in a blistering 22.42; and added a second-place long jump at 6.50m, making him one of the most impactful athletes at the entire meet. First-year Jarrett Brown (Milford, MA) showed tremendous promise in his own right, finishing fifth in the 100m with a time of 11.59. First-year Matteo Oliveri Kuhnle (Bedford, MA) also contributed in the sprints, placing seventh in the 100m at 11.74 and fifth in the long jump with a mark of 6.24m. Senior Nicholas Violette (Webster, MA) rounded out the sprint corps with an eighth-place finish in the 200m (23.95) and a ninth-place long jump at 5.85m. Sophomore Cole Berriault (Wareham, MA) had a strong 200m as well, placing sixth with a time of 23.63 before his standout 400m performance, where he earned third place in 53.32.

In the 400m, junior Keenan Ansah claimed the top spot with a winning time of 50.99 and also placed fourth in the long jump with a mark of 6.33m, demonstrating the kind of multi-event versatility that is invaluable to a program. Senior Alan Gomez (Clinton, MA) placed eighth in the 400m in 56.30, and first-year Daniel Ryan (Framingham, MA) and senior Andrew Stokes (Wilmington, MA) also competed in the event, finishing tenth and eleventh respectively.

The middle distance crew had plenty to be proud of as well. Junior Kelan Mahoney (Oakham, MA) took the top spot in the 800m with a commanding time of 2:02.63, while sophomore Taku Pettengill (Shirley, MA) earned a fourth-place finish in the same event at 2:06.20. Graduate student Alexander Lucier (Gardner, MA) was a workhorse on the day, placing sixth in the 800m at 2:07.76 and following that up with a third-place finish in the 1500m at 4:29.09. First-year Andrew Feinblatt (Framingham, MA) was equally impressive in the 1500m, finishing second with a time of 4:22.90 — a standout result for an underclassman.

On the distance side, first-year Liam Dietz (Longmeadow, MA) won the 5,000m in 17:08.71, leading a Worcester State sweep of the top three spots in the event. Sophomore Daniel Smith (Medway, MA) crossed second in 17:33.27, and senior Alex Matsuyasu (Newton, MA) rounded out the podium with a third-place finish at 18:09.34.

First-year Ryan Wing (Barre, MA) was perhaps the most versatile performer of the entire meet, claiming a first-place finish in the 400m hurdles (62.86), a third in the steeplechase (10:33.11), and a fifth in the high jump at 1.65m.

In the field events, senior Kelvin Paulino-Acosta (Sutton, MA) was a force to be reckoned with, winning the pole vault at 3.85m, taking first in the triple jump with a mark of 12.56m, and adding an eighth-place long jump at 5.93m. First-year Jose Calle (Plainfield, CT) also contributed in the pole vault with a fourth-place finish at 2.80m. Junior James Almeida (Auburn, MA) competed in multiple events, placing fifth in the triple jump at 11.77m, twelfth in the long jump at 5.00m, and tenth in the javelin at 30.09m.

The throws corps had a productive afternoon as well. Junior Garrett Papierski (Webster, MA) was the standout, finishing second in the shot put with a throw of 12.61m, eighth in the discus at 35.47m, and seventh in the hammer at 36.12m — a consistent presence across all three throwing events. Sophomore Gavin Delgado (Douglas, MA) placed sixth in the shot put at 12.17m, ninth in the discus at 34.28m, and sixth in the javelin at 37.97m. Junior Kodie LeGrand (Tewksbury, MA) chipped in with a ninth-place shot put at 11.67m, a tenth-place discus at 33.57m, and a sixth-place hammer throw at 36.73m. Junior Andrew Lucier (Gardner, MA) earned a third-place finish in the hammer at 39.77m and placed fourth in the javelin at 38.88m. First-year Hunter Cormier (Westminster, MA) also competed across the throws, finishing eighth in the javelin at 33.70m, while first-year Jake Krisiak (Groveland, MA) contributed in the shot put, discus, and javelin as well.

The Lancers return to action next Friday at Eastern Connecticut for the Bonnie Edmondson Classic.