Chester, PA (May 3, 2008) – Sophomore Justin Del Piano (Monmouth Junction, NJ/South Brunswick) placed first in the decathlon leading the DeSales University men’s track & field team to a fourth place finish at the MAC Outdoor Championships held at Widener University on Thursday thru Saturday.
The Bulldogs totaled 93 points to take home fourth place. Del Piano was one of many Bulldogs who placed among the top eight and earned team points. He finished the decathlon competition with 5,909 points, breaking the school-record by more than 200 points.
Among the other top finishers starting with the field events was sophomore Nick Staats (Montrose, PA/Montrose Area) taking home fourth place in the pole vault (12-11.50 feet). Freshman Doug Searles (Landing, NJ/Roxbury) also performed well taking home third place in the shot put (44-09.00 feet), fifth place in the discus (125-06.00 feet) and third place in the hammer throw (130-00.00 feet).
Sophomore Steve Modrow (Forty Fort, PA/Wyoming Valley West) was third in the discus (133-05.00 feet) and sixth in the shot put (43-05.75 feet), while freshman Ken Devens (Vernon, NJ/Vernon Township) was seventh in the hammer throw (127-07.00 feet) and eighth in the discus (121-07.00 feet) to round out the top finishers in the field events.
In the running events, senior Nick Razler (Philadelphia, PA/Father Judge) was seventh in the 400-meters (51.98), while senior Frank McClatchy (Exton, PA/Bishop Shanahan) was third in the 800-meters (1:57.11) and freshman Paul Ecker (Lewes, DE/Cape Henlopen) was fifth in a time of 1:58.41. Ecker also took home seventh place in the 1,500-meters (4:06.88) and sophomore Pat Hess (Harrisburg, PA/Bishop McDevitt) was eighth in the 1,500 (4:09.06).
In the 5,000-meters freshman Andrew Ferretti (Collegeville, PA/Wilson) was third in a time of 15:51.74 and sophomore Adam Troxel (Hamburg, PA/Hamburg) was eighth in a time of 16:03.71. Troxel also took sixth place in the 10,000-meter run in a time of 33:32.96, freshman Pat Dougherty (Schuylkill Haven, PA/Schuylkill Haven) was eighth in the 110-meter hurdles (17.81), freshman Pete Moreni (Philadelphia, PA/Archbishop Ryan) was second in the 400-meter hurdles (55.57) and sophomore Justin Cuga (Newark, DE/Salesianum) was sixth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in a time of 10:12.62.
The Bulldogs will return to action on Monday, May 12th when a few Bulldogs will compete at the last chance meet at Swarthmore College before those athletes who qualified for ECAC’s travel to the ECAC Championships on May 15th and 16th.