the Informer

STEVE MCLAUGHLIN

With the Indoor track and field season in the rearview mirror, Hartford began its 2010 outdoor season last Friday at the RPI Invitational in Troy, New York. The Invitational, hosted by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, was the first competitive outing the Hawks engaged in since the New England Indoor Championship on Feb. 26.

Even with a month layover, the Hawks came out in this opener with a strong effort and success in several team and individual events. Individually, the men’s team had notable success in the track events specifically. A pair of athletes achieved first place standings, and several others captured top honors.

Anderson Emerole, after having a great indoor season and breaking Hartford’s school record in the 300-meter dash and 400-meter run, began the outdoor campaign with several top-notch performances. The sophomore shined in the 200-meter dash, embracing a first-place finish as he then went on to assist the relay teams in achieving elite success.

Graduate student Mike Dupaul also earned a top honor with a time of 4:06:46, in the 1500-meter run. The duo of Josh Hummel and Wayne Lawrence each had great performances in the 800-meter run, finishing within the top five. The race concluded in a photo-finish style, where Dupaul was edged by RPI runner Mike Zampi by two one-hundredths of a second to claim first place. Lawrence’s run earned him a fourth-place honor for the event.

Ackeme Brown took the lone spotlight in the men’s field events, claiming the top finish in the long jump with a distance of 6.61 meters. The men’s relay teams were nothing short of dominant at the RPI invitational. The 4×100-meter team of Jordan Brown, Anthony Carrasquillo, Chris Carr and Anderson Emerole finished in first place.

The squad consisting of Eric Ciccone, Warren Lane, Anderson Emerole and Mathew Le were just as impressive, taking home the 4×400-meter title. Highlighting the women’s track events was Hartford’s efforts in the 400-meter dash, where three athletes claimed spots in the top four. Priscilla Appiagyei crossed the finish line first with Senior Kaycee Martinez following right behind, and Nicole McClintock took the fourth slot. The three also contributed to the profound success of the relay teams.

The women’s relay team also ran the show in Saturday’s invitational, shining in first place in both races. The impressive 4×100-meter relay team consisted of Kenterra Richardson, Kristalena Lamore, Nicole McClintock and Stephanie Hanson. Priscilla Appiagyei, Ariana Bass, Kaycee Martinez and Nicole McClintock made up the elite 4×400-meter team.

The Hawks not only flourished in the relay and track events, but also exemplified great showings in the field. Along with her added efforts in the 4×100-relay team, Kristalena Lamore had an impressive outing in the long jump and triple jump. The sophomore recorded a leap of 5.10 meters to lock up the top standing in the long jump and her bound of 10.11 secured second place in the triple jump.

Promising freshman Brittney Lawson demolished a 13-year-old school record in the hammer throw recording a distance of 45.88. Her mark surpassed the previous holder’s by 7.47 meters. Caitlyn Hauswirth was the second person for Hartford who set new milestones at the invitational, clearing a height of 2.99 meters in the pole vault. Her performance was good for second place in the event.

The RPI invitational detailed a sweep in each 4×100 and 4×400 relays for the men and women, several first place honors, and a few records broken for the Hawks on the opening day of their outdoor track and field season. The team will compete in their next meet, this Saturday at the Uconn Alumni Invitational, in Storrs Connecticut.