The William & Mary men's track & field team started the VMI Keydet Invitational on Friday in fine fashion, earning four IC4A-qualifying marks and three personal-bests in just seven total performances. The Tribe scored 30 points and is third out of the 15-team field, behind only Army (64 points) and Virginia (43 points).
- The first event of the day was the weight throw, where grad student
Preston Richardson (Franktown, Va.) finished second overall with a season-best throw of 18.14m (59-6.25) to re-qualify himself for the IC4A Championships. Sophomore
KJ Cook (Buena Vista, Va.) also re-qualified for IC4As, throwing a lifetime-best 17.77m (58-3.75) for fourth overall and to improve to eighth all-time at W&M. Redshirt-freshman
Jason Wright (Huntington Station, N.Y.) also set a lifetime-best, taking eighth overall at 16.82m (55-2.25) and improving to 11th all-time among Tribe athletes.
- In the distance medley relay, both the Tribe's two teams came in under the IC4A standard. The team of
Dawson Connell (Yorktown, Va.),
Alex Loukili (Reston, Va.),
Miles Owens (Yorktown, Va.), and
Evan Goodell (St. Louis, Mich.) finished second overall in 10:07.93, just ahead of the fourth-place squad of
Ryan McGorty (Fairfax, Va.),
Matt Heinicke-Peart (Richmond, Va.),
Chris Short (Toano, Va.), and
Cooper Leslie (Camp Hill, Pa.). That team combined to run 10:09.40.
- Freshman
Ryan Thomas (Leesburg, Va.) ran the prelims of the 60m hurdles, timing 8.98 seconds to rank 13th in school history.
- In the 4x800m relay, the Tribe team of Heinicke-Peart,
Raul Chavez-Gutierrez (Marshall, Va.), Loukili, and
Micah Pratt (Lynchburg, Va.) combined to run 7:56.59, and finished second overall.
The Keydet Invitational continues on Saturday, beginning at 10 a.m.
VMI Keydet Invitational
Team Standings
1. Army West Point 64
2. Virginia 43
3. William & Mary 30
4. George Mason 26
5. St. Augustine's 18
6. Norfolk State 16
T7. VCU 11
T7. Virginia State 11
T9. VMI 9
T9. Florida International 9
11. Hampton 7
T12. UNC Asheville 5
T12. Virginia Union 5
14. Lynchburg 2
15. Washington & Lee 1
