LEWISTON, Maine – The University of Maine at Farmington men's track and field team competed in the final regular-season indoor meet of the season on Saturday, prior to next weekend's New England Championship. The Beavers traveled to Bates College for the Bobcat Tune-Up, their final preparation before the championship.
Top Performances:
Senior Justin Castaldo (Scarborough, Maine) secured his spot in the New England Championship next weekend, qualifying for the mile with a time of 4:19.61 to place first overall in the event. Sophomore Joe Burgess (Gray, Maine) set a personal best with a time of 4:57.55, finishing 13th overall.
Senior Ben Vachon (Portland, Maine) earned a first-place finish in the long jump with his best attempt measuring 6.52 meters.
Junior Nate Trussell (Berwick, Maine) continued his strong season, breaking his own record in the 60-meter hurdles for the sixth time this year. Trussell ran 8.52 seconds in the preliminary round before posting a time of 8.88 seconds in the finals, placing fourth overall. He also earned a third-place finish in the 200 meters, clocking in at 23.33 seconds. Seamus Reeve (Kittery, Maine) finished eighth in the 200 meters with a time of 24.39 seconds.
In the 60 meters, first-year Owen Booker (Lisbon, Maine) placed fifth with a competitive time of 7.37 seconds. Booker also set the program record in the pole vault, clearing the 3.40-meter bar and finishing sixth overall in the event.
Farmington had four athletes place in the top ten of the 1,000 meters. Ethan Linscott (Lakeville, Maine) finished third with a time of 2:42.15, Jimmy Reel (Nashua, N.H.) was sixth with a time of 2:44.23, Andrew LaFlamme (Nashua, N.H.) finished seventh in 2:44.90, and Connor Freeman (Bath, Maine) placed ninth with a time of 2:47.95.
Alex Gagnon (Goffstown, N.H.) and Samuel Perkins placed ninth and 11th, respectively, in the 3,000 meters. Gagnon finished in 9:38.04, while Perkins completed the race in 9:57.22.
Sophomore Alex Crews (Winslow, Maine) placed sixth in the shot put, with his best throw measured at 13.23 meters.
Combined with the women's team, the Beavers will have nine athletes competing in 14 different events next weekend at the New England Championships, setting a program record.
