Behind 10 event victories on Saturday, the William and Mary men's outdoor track and field team opened the spring season with a win in the Tribe Invitational.  W&M out-scored George Mason 88-31 in the meet, and also had three IC4A qualifiers and three all-time top marks.

Complete Results

As it has been all year long, the strength of the Tribe field eventers led the way.  In the pole vault, redshirt-freshman Derek O'Connell (Virginia Beach, Va.) took gold at a height of 4.90m (16-0.75), his fifth meet over 16 feet in the past two months, and took three solid looks at a school-record 5.10m (16-8.75).  O'Connell qualified himself for the IC4A Championships and his height was tied for the eighth-best single performance ever at W&M, while he now ranks tied for fourth all-time among athletes.  Freshman Lucas Wratschko (Fairfax, Va.) was third overall, clearing the bar at 4.65m (15-3) to rank 13th in school history.  Also in the jumps, redshirt-freshman Dominic Burkett (Chesapeake, Va.) won the long jump, his first of two victories on the day, with a leap of 6.60m (21-8).

In the throws, sophomores ruled the roost.  Taylor Frenia (Virginia Beach, Va.) was a double-winner, taking both the shot put and the discus.  His put of 16.15m (53-0) qualifies him for the IC4A Championships, and his best throw in the discus went 46.13m (151-4).  Classmate Bob Smutsky (Dillsburg, Pa.) also qualified for the IC4A Championships, in his signature event of the javelin.  The Team USA veteran and 2013 U.S. Junior Champ opened up the spring with a throw of 64.38m (211-3) to take the victory, and second-place went to freshman Tucker Rizzi (Westport, Conn.) with a lifetime-best throw of 54.58m (179-1).  After just one meet, Rizzi ranks 10th all-time in school history.

The winning was not just limited to the field, as W&M was also able to generate momentum on the track.  Burkett won the 100m dash in 11.35 seconds and Smutsky added the 200m title in 22.78, and freshman Ryan Thomas (Fairfield, Conn.) made his Green and Gold debut with a gold-medal 54.77 in the 400m dash.  Redshirt-sophomore Nathaniel Hermsmeier (Charlottesville, Va.) kept up the winning ways in the 3,000m, crossing the line in 8:28.28, and the Tribe's 4x400m relay closed out the meet with another win in 3:27.82.  That squad included Jomar Aryee (Hillside, N.J.), David Gunnerson (Yorktown, Va.), Alex Hedrick (Falls Church, Va.), and Troy Sevachko (Centreville, Va.).

William and Mary is back in action next weekend, taking a short drive up to Richmond for the Fred Hardy Invitational on Friday and Saturday.