Two Records Nearly Fall at Kent

Feb 24, 2008

RESULTS (.pdf)

KENT, Ohio – The Allegheny College men’s track & field team had a plethora of league qualifiers, and had to athletes, Tony Dipre (Twinsburg, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) and Ryan Place (Meshoppen, Pa./Elk Lake) nearly break school records in the process; Dipre in the mile and Place in the 3,000-meter run.

Dipre, the current school record holder in the mile, ran a time of 4:19.69, just shy of the 4:19.16 he ran in the season opener, also at Kent. Dipre led a group of two other Gators to reach the league qualifying standard; Jeramie Parker (Middletown, Md./Middletown), who ran the event in a time of 4:27.10, and Andrew Mahone (Abingdon, Md./Bel Air), in a time of 4:30.46, both times signifying career-bests.

Place took first in the field of the 3,000, running a time of 8:21.73, .62 off of the school record set in 2005 by former teammate Kevin Pool. Three others; Zac Ross (Meadville, Pa./Meadville Area), Matt Hoy (Moon Township, Pa./Moon) and Tom Lee (Mt. Vernon, Ohio/Mt. Vernon); also met the league qualifying mark, running times of 8:38.26, 9:04.06 and 9:05.91, respectively.

Another big even in regards to meeting league qualifying marks was the 800-meter run, where Craig Balll (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn Hills) led the charge for four qualifying marks and three personal bests with a time of 1:56.69. Garret Piispanen (Fruita, Colo./Fruita Monument) finished just behind Ball in a time of 1:56.93, with Ben Eyer (Lititz, Pa./Manheim Central) and Jamie Drab (North East, Pa./North East) running times of 1:59.97 and 2:02.16, each.

Junior Joe McMahon (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) set a personal best in the 60-meter dash, running a time of 7.27, which converts to a 6.79 over 55-meters, a league-qualifying standard. McMahon’s jumping teammate, Matt Yurky (Homer City, Pa./Homer-Center) took 15th in the 60-meter hurdles, crossing the tape in a time of 8.75, good for a 8.21 55-meter dash time.

Peter Sotherland (Kalamazoo, Mich./Kalamazoo Central) and Cedric Gamble (Boalsburg, Pa./State College) each tuned up in the pole vault, with Sotherland taking 19th with a height of 13-5.25 and Gamble 21st, clearing 12-11.50. Frank Tupta (University Heights, Ohio/Hawken) rounded out the field by taking 25th in the shot put, heaving the implement 45-8.50.

The Gators open the league championships on Friday, February 28, competing in the two-day event hosted by Denison University in Granville, Ohio.

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