Blackburn, Bowman Each Post Victories For Track and Field At UMass-Lowell

RESULTS

LOWELL, Mass. -- The Babson College track and field teams overcame miserable weather conditions to turn a strong performance at the non-scoring UMass-Lowell Invitational on Saturday, as the Beavers saw two athletes claim first-place finishes. In addition, one school record fell and Babson had yet another performer qualify for the New England Championships.

Junior captain Lauren Blackburn once again paced the women's team, turning in two stellar showings in the hurdle events. She finished first in the 400 meter hurdles with a time of 1:09.01, and placed sixth and qualified for the NCAA Division III New England Championships in the 100 murdles with a time of 17.14.

Other standout performances for the women included first-year Nicki Wurdeman, who broke her own Babson record with a fifth-place toss of 34 feet, 5 3/4 inches in the shot put. She also added a throw of 110 feet, seven inches in the discus, good for second place. Fellow first-year Michelle Black contributed a second-place finish of her own with a time of 19:32.27 in the 5000 meter run, while junior captain Katie Trant and sophomore Larina Kleynerman added sixth-place performances in the high jump and the 200 meter dash, respectively.

For the Babson men, first-year Justin Bowman recorded his second victory of the season in the 800 meter run, as he finished first out of 25 competitors with a time of 1:59.65. Senior captain Greg Keshian added another spectacular effort in the 5000, placing second with a time of 15:56.90, while junior Charlie Brown placed fifth in the 200 meter dash and sixth in the 110 meter hurdles.

Also on the men's side, sophomore Chris Freney recorded a PR of 106 feet, 11 inches as he placed third in the discus, while first-year Mike Smith (4:26.79) and sophomore Jordan Bray (4:47.04) each added PRs in the 1500 meter run. First-year Daniel Girdusky placed in a pair of events as well for the Beavers, finishing eighth in the 200 meter dash and seventh in the 110 hurdles, and senior captain Kevin Butera placed fourth in the triple jump.