Men's track places first in Great Dane Classic

The UConn men’s track and field team took first place out of 24 schools in last week’s Great Dane Classic at the Armory Track in New York, NY. Competing against Villanova, George Mason and Rutgers, among others, UConn outscored the second place team at the meet by 49.5 points, scoring 131.5 points total. The University of Albany finished second with 82 points.

“While we were pleased with the win against solid competition, we showed where we have work to do as well,” head coach Gregory S. Roy said. “Coaches and athletes are addressing these areas aggressively.”

What Roy can be pleased with was how his team showed strength in many different areas. The team had at least one athlete finish in the top five in 13 different events, finishing first in three of those.

Freshman Alex Levine (Danbury, Conn.) took first in the 800 meter run with a time of 1:54.10, Sophomore Selwyn Maxwell Jr. (Monroe, NY) finished first in the 60 meter hurdles, running a personal best time of 7.96, and the distance medley relay squad of Seniors Joe Clark (West Islip, N.Y.) and Alex Bennatan (Lake Forest, Ill.), Sophomore James Agati (Valley Stream, N.Y.), and Levine took home first place in a time of 9:59.06.

Perhaps the Huskies’ best event of the meet was the 1,000 meter run, where UConn placed five runners in the top 14. Freshmen Alvaro Chavez (West Windsor, NJ) and Nick O’Leary (North Attleboro, Mass.) finished fifth and fourteenth respectively, Sophomores Agati and Phil Caldwell (Cheshire, Conn.) finished tenth and eighth, and senior Tim Bennatan (Lake Forest, Ill.) crossed the finish line in eleventh.

In the weight throw, senior Josh Faboyede (Providence R.I.) set a personal record with a throw of 18.83 meters, finishing second in the event.

“Josh has shown a lot of competitive development this year, and even bigger numbers are right around the corner,” Roy said.

Sophomore Christopher Ackell (Brookfield, Conn.) also did well in the weight throw recording a toss of 16.99 meters and finishing sixth.

The Huskies’ next meet will be Saturday, Jan.26 at Boston University’s Terrier Classic.