Expectations remain unmet for men’s track and field team after Texas meet
By Derek Groom
April 5, 2010 10:39 a.m.
Select members of the men’s track and field team arrived at the Texas Relays in Austin with high expectations, but left with a sense of disappointment after a tough day of competition.
The Bruins had a chance to prove something against a deep field of athletes, but some felt that they were unable to meet the high standards that they set for themselves.
The distance medley relay team finished fourth place with a time of 9:48.15, which did not sit well with some of the runners. Junior Cory Primm ran the opening 1200 meter leg in 2:56, as junior Quentin Powell ran 48.60 in the following 400 meter leg. Powell handed the baton off to sophomore Jonathan Simmons, who clocked in at 1:51.45 in the 800 meter, and redshirt junior Scott Crawford completed the relay by running 4:11.90 in the 1600 meter.
Simmons commented that the team was in second place the whole way until the last leg, where they then dropped to fourth.
“This was not a good race for us because we should have taken at least second place,” said Simmons.
Primm shared Simmons’ frustration, as he was disappointed by how the team performed on Saturday. “No one ran exceptionally well, and we all ran tentatively. We did not do what we came here to do,” said Primm.
The relay team’s high standards stem from its All-American performance at the NCAA Indoor Championships, where it placed sixth. The Bruins still have plenty of time this outdoor season to reclaim their prominence in the national picture.
On a better note, senior Marlon Patterson ran strong in the Jerry Thompson one-mile invitational race, where he finished second in 4:05.37. The race turned into a sprint finish, as Patterson moved up to the front from third place while the runner who was in fourth place matched his surge and outlasted him to the finish line.
Junior Jonathan Clark failed to make a mark in the triple jump, as he fouled on his first two attempts and passed on his third. In the shot put, redshirt junior Bo Taylor fouled on all three attempts, failing to make a mark.
In the pole vault, junior Casey DiCesare and redshirt junior Johnny Quinn reached an identical height of 17 feet 5 inches, which left DiCesare in a tie for sixth place and Quinn in eighth based on misses. The mark is a life-time best for DiCesare and a season-best for Quinn.
The rest of the men’s team traveled to San Luis Obispo to compete at the Cal Poly Invitational, where several Bruins had strong performances.
Senior Steven Tyler won the triple jump with a mark of 47 feet, 11.50 inches, while redshirt junior Scott DiCesare cleared 15 feet, 11.50 inches in the pole vault to place third.
The Bruins are set to host the Rafer Johnson/Jackie Joyner Kersee Invitational next weekend at Drake Stadium, where they look to have a strong showing on their home track.
