Gauthier, McNeil lead men’s track and field at Tufts Invite
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| Matt Lopez ’08 finished in the top eight out of a large field in both the shot put and the weight throw. (Tom Leonard photo) |
MEDFORD, Mass. — Bates senior Noah Gauthier and sophomore Rich McNeil placed first and second out of 27 competitors in the 35-pound weight throw, highlighting the Bates men’s indoor track and field team’s day at the non-scoring Tufts Invitational, which included athletes from all divisions around New England.
Gauthier (Amherst, N.H.) made a top throw of 57’08.5″, while McNeil (Lawrence, Mass.) recorded a top throw of 56’09.25″. Senior Matthew Lopez (Lexington, Mass.) and sophomore Mark Liu (Lexington, Mass.) placed sixth and seventh, respectively.
McNeil also placed third in the shot put wiht a top put of 47’09.75″, while Lopez took eighth.
Other highlights included another impressive day for first-year sprinter Ryan Quinn (Watertown, Mass.), who placed 10th in the 400-meter dash in 52.11 seconds, and also missed the cut for the finals of the 55-meter dash, recording a preliminary time of 6.75 seconds that was seventh-best out of 30 competitors.
Bates sophomores Peter Garber (Short Hills, N.J.) placed fifth in the pole vault at 12’03.25″, and first-year Brett Epler (Wellesley, Mass.) was eighth in the 55 hurdles, with a prelim time of 8.45.
Bates will return to Tufts on Friday for the New England Division III Indoor Championships.