FIU Track Results
March 28, 2001
CORAL GABLES, FL – (hurricanesports.com) – Week two of the outdoor track season featured a smaller squad of Hurricanes competing at the FIU Invite.
I noticed that the spring football practices have started, claiming a number of our sprinters, throwers and jumpers, but it was good to see their names (Davenport and McGahee to name a couple) amongst the headlines.
Anyway, the meet at FIU was a down week for the track team in anticipation of this upcoming weekend. Jeff Gaulrapp and I were looking forward to a big steeplechase in Raleigh, NC, and the rest of the team awaiting the Florida Relays in Gainesville.
We had 3 runners in the 1500, which was early in the meet under the midday sun. The meet was running 20 minutes late already, so the two heats were combined. This made for a cluster of runners all vying for lane one at the first turn.
Gaulrapp and I both ran a little too conservatively at the start, getting stuck behind a pack of runners. We went through the first lap in 64, then the 800-meter mark in about 2:08. I had wanted to go out at 2:04-2:06 to see what I’d have left. As it was, going out in 2:08, I had a lot left.
I moved up to the front and tried to hang with the lead pack, which included Luiz Prestes, a 4:10 miler from FIU. As we hit the bell lap, 400 meters to go, Prestes and Justin Niedzialek had made a break from the pack with two Bethune Cookman runners, Alex Chemwolo and Charles Wambula, following. Wambula cut into lane one a little too close to me and his spikes came up and sliced my shin. One thing I don’t appreciate is being spiked. I wanted to beat him and his teammate. Down the backstretch I surged past Wambula, and began to eat up ground on Chemwolo. As we came charging down the homestretch, I inched past Chemwolo and held on to take third in 3:57.42. I had dropped 6 seconds off my personal best time.
Gaulrapp took 6th place in 4:01.85 holding off a late charge from Rob Hulick of Princeton. Freshman Scott Sadowski ran what would have been a personal best, however, the officials had difficulties with their timing system and were unable to provide an accurate time.
The sprinters had a difficult day as they were forced to dash directly into a strong headwind. Gus Martin still managed to win the 110 hurdles and Guy Emry took 5th.
Despite the absence of the football players, we still had a strong showing in the 100. Joseph Mbayen and Shane Brown finished 4th and 5th respectively.
Jabari Ennis won the pole vault, an event suddenly overloaded with Hurricanes. In fact, I think we have more pole-vaulters than we have distance runners! Guy Emry took 4th and Russell Landy and Andy Speer both cleared 4.12 meters for 7th and 8th place.
Stay tuned for next week’s magical journey to Raleigh, NC, starring Coach Ward, Jeff Gaulrapp, women’s distance ace Shannon Sarabyn.
