Five Runner-Up Finishes Leads Red Raider Track to Fifth at Bucknell Heptagonal
Jan. 19, 2008
LEWISBURG, Pa. - For the second-straight week, senior Jamal James (Harrisburg/Central Dauphin) recorded two second place finishes in the 55 and 200-meter dash to lead the Shippensburg University men's track and field team to a fifth place showing at the Bucknell Heptagonal on Saturday.
The Red Raiders totaled five individual runner-up finishes en route to 67 points which was three ahead of PSAC rival and sixth-place East Stroudsburg.
James finished first in the 55-meter prelims with a time of 6.49 seconds which was just 0.01 seconds off his converted 60-meter time set at Bucknell on December 1 at the Bison Opener. However, he would finish second in the finals as James Bush took first in 6.46 seconds, just 0.06 ahead of James.
Junior James Wilson (Ephrata/Ephrata) who earned two top-five finishes in the 55 and 200-meter dash at last week's PSAC East Challenge, placed sixth in the 55 meters Saturday.
In the 200 meters, James finished second in a season-best time of 22.35 seconds which was 0.04 ahead of East Stroudsburg's Andrew McCloskey who placed third in a season-best 22.39 seconds.
James was also a part of the 4x400-meter relay team's second place finish along with senior Maurice Barbour (Chambersburg/Chambersburg), senior Eric Baker (Montoursville/Montoursville) and junior Joe Wagner (Biglerville/Biglerville). The team posted a season-best time of 3:24.62 which tied East Stroudsburg who also had its best time of the season.
Barbour also placed fourth in the triple jump. He is currently the top seeded athlete in the PSAC in the event following his mark of 47' 11 1/4" set at the Ursinus Classic on December 8.
Sophomore Don Graybill (Ephrata/Cocalico), junior Sean Cohick (Shippensburg/Big Spring) and red-shirt freshman Leander Toney (Lancaster/J.P. McCaskey) each had runner-up finishes for the Red Raiders in the pole vault, long jump and high jump, respectively.
In the pole vault, Graybill posted a season-best mark of 15' 2 3/4" which was ahead of the mark of 14" set by the four competitors who finished third, fourth, fifth and sixth. Khalil Uqdah of Lehigh won the event with a leap of 16' 6." Graybill was also eighth in the high jump.
Cohick had a season-best leap of 23' 1 1/4" in the long jump which tied the mark of first place Kyle Anthony of Bucknell. Cohick also placed ninth in the 200-meter dash.
Toney, who is currently seeded second in Division II in the high jump following his mark of 6' 10 1/4" set at the Ursinus Classic, placed second behind William Velez of St. Francis (Pa.) with a leap of 6' 6." Toney is also the PSAC leader in the event by more than three feet.
Other notable performances included junior Shaun Minnich (Churchville/Council Rock South) who was third in the shot put. In the 500-meter dash, sophomore Ryan Boyer (Middletown, Md./Middletown) and freshman Sam Storino (Hatboro/Hatboro-Horsham) finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
Shippensburg will be in action at Bucknell for the third time this season next Friday for the two-day Bucknell Open and Multi. Action on Friday begins at 4:00 p.m.
- Red Raider Track and Field -
