MANCHESTER, N.H. - The University of Maine at Farmington men's track and field team returned north after competing in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina a week ago to take part in the SNHU Spring Invitational on Thursday, hosted by Southern New Hampshire University.
The meet featured several top NCAA Division II and III programs from across the New England region.
Top Beaver Performances
Junior Andrew LaFlamme (Nashua, N.H.) delivered the top performance of the day for the Beavers, placing first overall in the 5,000 meters with a standout time of 15:25.55. LaFlamme finished nearly ten seconds ahead of the next closest runner. The time sets a new program record and also provisionally qualifies him for the New England Championships.
Fellow junior Ethan Linscott (Lakeville, Maine) also had a strong showing, competing in both the 800- and 1,500-meter races. Linscott placed third in the 800 meters with a time of 2:01.72 and added a seventh-place finish in the 1,500 meters, crossing the line in 4:15.22. First-year Lucas Witkowski (Cromwell, Conn.) also competed in the 800 meters, placing eighth overall with a time of 2:07.70.
Junior thrower Alex Crews (Winslow, Maine) had a strong day in the shot put, discus, and hammer throw. Crews advanced to the finals in the shot put, placing third overall with a top mark of 13.69 meters. In the discus finals, he placed eighth with a best throw of 35.83 meters. Crews also competed in the qualifying round of the hammer throw, where he reached 43.08 meters to place fourth.
First-year Noel Matista (Danbury, Conn.) also performed well in a pair of throwing events, placing fifth in the hammer throw qualifying round and eighth in the shot put qualifying round. Matista's best throw in the hammer reached 40.45 meters, while his top mark in the shot put was 11.00 meters.
Sophomore Owen Booker (Lisbon, Maine) delivered a third-place finish in the triple jump, reaching 12.57 meters on his best attempt.
Sophomore Logan Burns (Islesboro, Maine) added a top-10 finish, placing ninth overall in the long jump with a mark of 6.02 meters.
Sophomore Samuel Perkins (Jay, Maine) joined LaFlamme in the 5,000 meters, placing 10th overall with a time of 17:11.81.
Farmington's relay teams also turned in strong performances. In the 4x400-meter relay, the group of Booker, Burns, Witkowski, and Jake Lepper (Blue Hill, Maine) placed third with a time of 3:42.38. In the 4x100-meter relay, Nate Trussell (Berwick, Maine), Witkowski, Lepper, and Burns posted a time of 44.92 seconds to finish fifth overall.
UP NEXT
The Beavers return to action next Saturday at the Springfield College Classic.
