Men's Track Ready For BIG EAST Championships
May 1, 2002
Coral Gables, FL (hurricanesports.com) – The University of Miami men’s track and field team travels to the University of Connecticut for the BIG EAST Outdoor Track and Field Championships, May 3-5, in Storrs, CT.
Miami enters this weekend’s conference championships with a strong contingent and looks to improve on last season’s eighth-place finish.
UM will look to do most of its scoring in the sprints and hurdles. Leading the Hurricanes will be seniors Gus Martin (Miami Northwestern) and Aaron Moser (Bonne Terre, MO), and junior Andre Johnson (Miami Senior).
Martin, the 2002 BIG EAST Indoor Champion in the 60-meter hurdles, ranks No. 1 in the BIG EAST in the 110-meter hurdles (14.17), fourth in the 400-meter hurdles (51.93) and second in the 200-meter dash (21.34). At the 2001 BIG EAST Outdoor Championships, Martin scored in three events finishing third in the 110-meter hurdles, fourth in the 200-meters and was a member of the champion 4×100-meter relay that established a BIG EAST Conference record.
Moser, a three-time BIG EAST Champion in the decathlon, could compete in a number of different events. He has recorded BIG EAST qualifying marks in the decathlon, 100-meters, 110-meter hurdles, long jump and pole vault.
Johnson, the BIG EAST Indoor champion in the 60-meters, will attempt to be the third Hurricane in the last four seasons to win the BIG EAST 100-meter title.
Johnson, Moser and Martin, along with sophomore Willis McGahee (Miami Central) will also attempt to win the Hurricanes’ fourth 4×100-meter title in the last six seasons. Last season Miami won with a BIG EAST Championship record time of 40.40.
Even without the services of senior Jabari Ennis, who suffered a season-ending knee injury at Texas Relays, the Hurricanes should bode well in the pole vault. Four UM vaulters have qualified including Moser, sophomore Aaron Bass (Hillsborg, OR), sophomore Jon Mark (St. Charles, IL) and freshman Chris Centrich (Hamburg, NY).
In the distance events UM will look to senior Jeff Gaulrapp (Baldwinsville, NY), junior Dan Boniface (Seattle, WA) and sophomore Matt Mulvaney (South Hadley, MA). Gaulrapp and Boniface both qualified in the 3,000-meter steeplechase while Mulvaney qualified in the 10,000-meters.
