Track & Field Senior Day
BUZZARDS BAY, Mass -- At the end of every sports season, traditionally prior the final regular season home game, we honor our senior student-athletes for their contributions to their respective programs prior to playing their final home game at Massachusetts Maritime Academy. With the current global climate and spring seasons being cancelled our seniors had the opportunity to walk on the field with their family taken away from them. In honor of our seniors we would like to take the time to recognize them and their time as a Buccaneer.
The Buccaneer track & field team was coming off one of their best years in program history in 2019, capped off with the first Academy All-American in 20 years. A handful of male and female athletes broke schools records throughout the season changing the landscape of the program for years to come. The 2020 season we bright for the Buccaneers who had fielded their largest roster in program history with nearly 70 student-athletes ready to go. Unfortunately, one week before their 2020 season began their season was over due to the global pandemic.
Though track & field does not get a typical senior day celebration with all of their meets taking place away from home we wanted to take the time to recognize and celebrate the 11 rostered men and women who will be graduating from the Academy in 2020.
We begin with first year captain Mehdi Bakhouch from Lynn, Mass. The Emergency Management major competed in the 100 and 200 meter sprints and the long jump for the Bucs. "Mehdi has always led by example and is one of the many reasons why he was chosen as a captain for the 2020 season, said head coach Cathy Lohse. Mehdi's best finish was in the long jump at the Regis Spring Classic in 2019 when he finished 11th in the event with a 4.68 meter jump. That was also his career best. In the 100 and 200 meter events, his best finishes were 13.20 second and 27.62 seconds respectively.
Next is Ryan Burns. The Plymouth, Mass native is a Marine Science, Safety and Environmental Protection major and two-time track & field team captain. Burns competed in the 400 and 800 meter events and relays for the Buccaneers. "Ryan has been a great asset to our program," Lohse said. "He began his career as a sprinter and we quickly recognized that he would be a very strong middle distance runner." Burns qualified for the New England Alliance meet in 2017 and 2018 as a member of the 4x800 relay team and is a member of the four Bucs that holds the school record in the 4x800 meter relay.
Third is CJ Burt from Plymouth, Mass. Burt is a Marine Transportation major who participated in the javelin and discus events for the Buccaneers. CJ was returning to the track team in 2020 after taking the 2019 season to participate in the Maritime exchange program in China. In 2018, his sophomore year, CJ qualified for the New England Alliance meet in the discus throw. At the meet he finished 13th overall with a throw of 28.11 meters. He seemed to have a favorite place to throw finishing top ten in the discus throw in two events at Eastern Connecticut in 2018. His best throw in the discus also came in his 10th place finish at ECSU with a 30.60 meter toss.
Next we have Ryan Chevalier. From Barnstable, Mass, the Marine Engineering major was joining the track & field team for the first time in his four years at the Academy. Ryan would have competed in the 100 and 200 meter sprint events for the Bucs this season. "After many attempts to get Ryan to join our team he agreed to join in his senior year," said Coach Lohse. "We were excited to have him on board and I am sorry we will not get to see what he could accomplish." Chevalier served as the 2nd Company Training and Retention Officer and was the 2nd Engineering Training Rate during the 2020 sea term.
Our next senior is Luke Harrington from Queenstown, Maryland. The Marine Engineering major began his track career at Maritime as an 800 meter runner but later found that javelin was his event. His best finish in the Javelin was a 14th place finish at the 2019 Regis Spring Classic with a 25.00 meter throw. His best toss came at the Silfen Invitational where he threw 35.01 meters. "Luke was very much looking forward to the 2020 season and mastering his technique in the javelin," Lohse said. "It's unfortunate he didn't get that opportunity after a strong showing in 2019."
Our first female senior to be honored is Meaghan Hamilton. Hamilton, from Braintree, Mass, is a two-sport athlete at the Academy, running cross-country and track. The Emergency Management major has had an outstanding career as a Buccaneer. She has competed in the 400 meter hurdles, 1500, 3000 meter steeplechase, and 5000 meter events and is a two-time team captain. Meaghan holds four individual school records in the 400 hurdles, 3000 meter, 3000 meter steeplechase and the 5000 meter while also being part two record holding relay teams in the 4x100 and 4x400 meter relays. In 2018, she qualified for the New England Alliance Championships in the 400 meter hurdle event. She finished fifth overall with a time of 1:12.31. Hamilton has 11 top 10 finishes in her track career including her best finish in an event at the last meet she competed in, the Sean Collier Invitational at MIT in 2019, with a second place finish in the 3000 steeplechase. When not running all over Buzzards Bay and most of New England, Meaghan is also in the Army. This June she will become a Second Lieutenant Military Police Officer in the United States Army.
Next is Matt Horton. The International Management major from Hanover, Mass joined the team in his sophomore season competing in the 800 meter and javelin. Having spent the spring of his junior year in China, Horton only competed in four meets in his career in 2018. His best overall finish was a 13th place finish at the ECSU Invitational with a 33.34 meter toss in the javelin.
Santa Clara, California's Anderson Melendez is our next senior. Melendez, an Emergency Management major, competed in the 100 and 200 meter sprints and was part of the 4x100 meter relay team. Melendez has six top 10 finishes under his belt as a Buccaneer including a seventh place finish at the 2017 ECSU Invitational in the 200 meter sprint with a time os 25.66 seconds and a 10th place finish at the 2018 New England Alliance Championship in the 100 meter sprint with a time of 12.07 seconds. His career bests in the 100 and 200 meters are 11.65 and 24.66 seconds respectively. Anderson will go in to active duty in the United State Army as a second Lieutenant Ordinance Officer this summer.
Two-year captain David Moore from Newbury, Mass is our next senior. A four-year member of the squad, Moore competed in the javelin and the 800 meter events. An Emergency Management major with a minor in Homeland Security, David served as the Regimental Community Service Operations Officer for the 2019-2020 school year. In four years, David had nine top 10 finishes. In 2019, he qualified for the New England Alliance Championships in the javelin. He finished 15th in the meet with a throw of 41.52 meters. His best javelin throw of 43.02 meters came in 2019 at the Corsair Classic at UMass Dartmouth. His best 800 meter finish was at the Regis Spring Classic in 2017 where he finished ninth with a time of 2:17.28.
Next is first year member Isaac O'Brien. From South Boston, Mass the Facilities Engineering major would have competed in the 1500 and 3000 meter steeplechase events. "Isaac had the ability to come out and break records for the Buccaneers in his first season," said coach Lohse. "He is a hardcore runner and competitor." O'Brien is currently enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserves and will commissioning as a Marine Corps Officer upon graduation from the Academy.
Last and certainly not least is two-sport athlete Michelle Sheehan. 2020 was her third season as a track & field captain. The Attleboro, Mass native and Marine Transportation major competed in the 100, 200, and 400 meter sprints as well as the 400 meter hurdles and the 4x100 relay. She holds three individual school records in the 100, 200, and 400 meter sprints and was a member of the 4x100 and 4x400 meter relay teams that also hold school records. "Michelle set records in each of her first three seasons and I have no doubt she would have set at least one more in her senior season," Lohse said. In each of her first three years, Sheehan qualified for the New England Alliance Championships. In her sophomore season she finished sixth at the Alliance meet in the 400 meter hurdles with a time of 1:13.41. Michelle was the recipient of the Buccaneer track & field MVP award in 2018 and received the coach's award in 2019 and is surely to win more awards before her career at the Academy is over. Outside of athletics, Sheehan served as her freshman class treasurer, was the sophomore class president, served as a squad leader, the 2nd Company Damage Control Officer, and as a 3rd Deck Training Rate.
Congratulations to all of you on outstanding careers as Buccaneers. From all of us in the Department of Athletics, your coaches, and teammates, thank you for your hard work and dedication to Buccaneer Athletics and the Academy as a whole. Your achievements on and off the track will always be remembers. Good luck to all of you on your future endeavors.
