Gator Men Place Fifth in Pittsburgh

Apr 1, 2006

Results (PDF)

PITTSBURGH – The Allegheny College Gators placed fifth of 15 teams at the Western Pennsylvania Invitational, trailing only a trio of Division I teams and a Division II squad. Vince Werner (Sheffield) (right) placed fifth in the javelin toss with a season-best and provisional qualifying distance of 197-0.

The Gators placed fifth in the event with 57.50 points. Robert Morris won the event with 165.50 points, with Duquesne on their heels with 122 points. Pittsburgh and Indiana placed ahead of the Gators, as they were the top Division III squad at the event.

The event brought together 15 different schools in the Western Pennsylvania area, including Division I schools Robert Morris, Pittsburgh, Penn State and Duquesne, and Division II Slippery Rock, Clarion and Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Five Gators met NCAC qualifying standards in multiple events, as the Blue and Gold had 21 total NCAC qualifying marks in the event.

The Gators had strong finishes in the distance events, as the Gators saw three NCAC qualifying marks in the 5,000-meter run, two in the 1,500-meter run, and one each in the 800- and in 3,000-meter steeple chase.

Chris Corkins (Horseheads, N.Y.), Chris Carrier (Lyndhurst, Ohio/Charles F. Brush) and Devon Flynnperrault (Lafayette, Calif./Campolindo) each met the league qualifying standards in the 5,000-meter run, with Corkins leading the pair through the 3.1 mile event in a time of 15:29.58, placing seventh. Carrier placed 10th, finishing in a time of 15:42.00, while Flynnperrault finished 11th overall in a time of 15:57.31.

NCAC Indoor Distance Athlete of the Year Ryan Place (Meshoppen/Elk Lake) placed fourth in the 1,500-meter run in a time of 4:02.92, while Matt Hoy (Moon Twp./Moon) placed seventh in a time of 4:08.46.

Garrett Piispanen (Fruita, Colo./Fruita Monument) and Matt Smith (Sayville, N.Y.) each met the NCAC standards, Piispanen in the 800-meter run, where he finished the half-mile in a time of 1:59.27, good for sixth place, and Smith in the 3,000-meter steeple chase, placing eighth with a time of 10:15.77.

Hurdlers Dave Griffin (Pittsburgh/Montour) and Matt Yurky (Homer City/Homer Center) each qualified for the conference meet in a pair of events. Griffin in the 100-meter hurdles, placing 6th place with a time of 16.62, and in the 400-meter hurdles, finishing the one-lap in a time of 59.31, good for 12th place. Yurky met the standard in the 400-meter hurdles, finishing on the heels of Griffin with a time of 59.42, while leaping to a distance of 40-4.25 in the triple jump.

Joe McMahon (Pittsburgh/Baldwin) met the standards in both of the horizontal jump events, leaping to a distance of 45-0.25 in the triple jump, placing second in the meet, while placing sixth in the long jump with a leap of 21-10.

Sean Laird (Monroeville/Gateway) showed versatility, meeting the qualifying mark in the long jump with a leap of 22-7.75, just off of the NCAA provisional qualifying standard and the school record. He also tossed the javelin 162-8, the first time he has competed in the event this season.

Jeff Vangura (Murrysville/Franklin Regional) qualified to the conference meet in the triple jump, leaping to a distance of 40-4.75, placing 15th in the competition.

Pat Confer (Bradford) topped the qualifying mark in the shot put, tossing the weight 44-4, good for 11th place, while placing 11th in the hammer with a distance of 126-2.

Frank Tupta (University Heights, Ohio/Hawken) and Kitt Tuttle (Alexandria, Va./T.C. Williams) each met a standard apiece in the throwing events. Tupta placed fifth in the shot put with a toss of 46-0, while Tuttle placed 10th in the hammer with a heave of 132-9.

The next meet for the Blue and Gold is on April 8, when the team travels south to Washington, Pa., to compete in the Washington & Jefferson Invitational.

Printable Version