Program Notes


Pole vaulter Jerome Bennett '09 is just one example of Bates' quality depth all over its outdoor roster. (Photo by Tom Leonard '78)

2008-09 Season Notes

The 2008-09 Bates men’s track and field team was distinguished in the indoor season by quality and depth, and that is expected to continue in the outdoor season. This year's team is expected to field the largest roster in team history, with more than 60 athletes on the early season roster. The size of this year’s team is expected to generate highly competitive performances through enhanced training groups and intra-team competitions.

The outdoor season began in impressive fashion for the Bobcats, who took first place out of 20 teams at the Jim Sheehan Memorial Meet at Fitchburg State, then outscored MIT, Southern Maine and Colby at the Colby Invitational.

“This will be a very difficult team to beat in smaller meets -- our numbers will allow for quality entries without stretching any one group of athletes too far,” said coach Al Fereshetian. “We should also be a threat to compete with the top programs in the region, because along with our exceptional depth we will have quality performers in most areas.”

The 2008 team lost numerous talented team members to graduation, including the NCAA champion in the 35lb weight throw, Noah Gauthier; the Bates record holder in the pentathlon, John Miley; and Emmanuel Drabo, All-New England and ECAC in the triple jump. However, Fereshetian is confident his team will be even stronger this season with many returning athletes ready to step into some of the key vacancies. Bates will also rely on a large and talented group of first-year athletes to round out the roster.

Leading this year’s team will be senior captains Jerome Bennett, CJ Murray and Mike Watson; Bennett is a pole vaulter, while Murray and Watson are both middle-distance runners. Also stepping into leadership roles are junior captains Rich McNeil and Steve Fukuda. McNeil won All-American honors last spring in the hammer throw and will look to continue his success in the hammer throw, shot put and discus in the outdoor season. Fukuda leads a young and talented group of sprinters, while Bennett will be one of the top pole vaulters in the region. Other returners who are expected to make an impact are juniors Mark Liu (throws), Doug Brecher (distance) and Peter Garber (pole vault), as well as sophomores Brett Epler (hurdles & multi-events), Ryan Quinn (sprints), Joe Musso and Tom Esponnette (middle distances).

New team members who will add depth and talent to this season's team include Devin Dilts, sophomore transfer from Vanderbilt University. Dilts was the men’s cross country team’s top runner this fall and will aim to continue his success during the track and field season. First-years Zack Becker (jumps), Candido Bousquet (sprint, jumps, throws & multi events), Troy Calandra (distance, mid distance), Sean Colligan (distance), Peter Corcoran (mid distance), Sam Goldstein (pole vault), Mike Jiang (sprints), Nick Marinakis (sprints), Chris Okano (mid distance, distance) and Obichukwu Udeh (jumps) will also be looked upon to make an immediate impact.

The roster will continue to grow as the season progresses, as the Bobcats will welcome a few notable additions next semester. Naoki Kakuta, a Japanese exchange student who will contribute in the middle distance events, will join the team in January. Also returning to the team in January are juniors Erik Born (jumps), Carlos Castro (sprints) and Nick DeFrancis (pole vault), who have all competed successfully at the New England level in past seasons. Sophomore Chris Murtagh, 2008 NESCAC Rookie of the Year and NESCAC javelin champion, is scheduled to rejoin the team later in the year at full strength after off-season knee surgery.