Gratzer's Runner-Up Finish In Shot Put Sets Pace For Outdoor Track & Field At MASCAC Championships
Posted: Apr 29, 2017

Gratzer's Runner-Up Finish In Shot Put Sets Pace For Outdoor Track & Field At MASCAC Championships

MASSACHUSETTS MARITIME OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD

2017 MASCAC/New England Alliance Championships

Saturday, April 29, 2017

Jerry Gravel Track, Westfield, Mass.

 

WESTFIELD, Mass. --  The Massachusetts Maritime outdoor track & field team wrapped up its 2017 campaign by posting a pair of fifth place team finishes at the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships at Westfield State’s Jerry Gravel Track on Saturday afternoon, as the Buccaneers recorded 12th place performances in the New England Alliance Championships that included seven Little East Conference squads.

 

Junior Jessica Gratzer (Pembroke, Mass.) posted a runner-up finish in the shot put with a school-record mark of 11.12 meters/36 feet, 5 ¾ inches to lead the way for Massachusetts Maritime, as she added a seventh place performance in the javelin (30.32 meters/99 feet, 6 inches) as well during the competition.  Junior Ian Chester (Rockland, Mass.) set a school record in the 110 meter hurdles (16.04) while adding a seventh place finish in the javelin (46.81 meters/153 feet, 7 inches) for the Buccaneers, who also received a seventh place performance in the 400 meter hurdles (1:16.77) from freshman Michelle Sheehan (Attleboro, Mass.).

 

Junior Chris MacKay (Bethany, Conn.) and sophomore John Driver (Williamstown, Mass.) recorded ninth place respective finishes in the 1,500 meters (4:20.59) and 3,000 meter steeplechase (11:38.95) on the day for Massachusetts Maritime, which received 10th place performances from senior Tyler Aldrich (Mashpee, Mass.) in the 800 meters (2:07.03) and from junior Mitch Conroy (Brooklyn, Conn.) in the discus (32.02 meters/105 feet, 1 inch).

 

The men’s 4 x 400 meter relay consisting of Aldrich, MacKay, sophomore Cal Garufo (Winthrop, Mass.) and freshman Aaron Diauto (Pembroke, Mass.) posted a fourth place time of 3:38.83 for the Buccaneers, while the women’s 4 x 100 meter relay comprised of Sheehan, senior Emma Ethier (Norton, Mass.), sophomore Sara Merzon (Rockland, Mass.) and freshman Emma Sullivan (Weymouth, Mass.) set a school record with a fifth place time of 56.08.  The men’s 4 x 100 quartet of Chester, Garufo and freshmen Anderson Melendez (Santa Clara, Calif.) and Frank Mesa (Hialeah, Fla.) finished fifth with a time of 45.25, while the men’s 4 x 800 meter relay tandem of sophomores Carl Thompson (Swanzey, N.H.) and Zach Podedworny (Webster, Mass.), along with freshmen Ryan Burns (Plymouth, Mass.) and Ryan Welsh (Washington, Conn.), posted a fifth place time of 9:16.38.

 

Worcester State claimed the MASCAC men’s title for the first time in 41 years, while Westfield State copped the MASCAC women’s crown for a second straight season.