It has been a record setting post-season for the USM men’s indoor track and field team.
Two weeks ago, the team broke three school records at the NEIcAAA championships, including best-ever results in the 4×400 meter relay and the 800 and 5,000 meter runs.
The 4×400 team of senior Derek Murchie (Windham), juniors Doug Mercer (Laconia, NH) and Jimmy Sawyer (Gorham) and freshman Corey Gobbi (Haverhill, MA) combined for a time of 3:18.92, breaking the previous USM record by three seconds and falling just 0.42 seconds shy of qualifying for the NCAA meet.
Murchie and Sawyer also lowered their own school record times in the 200m and 800m runs, respectively.
Following the pattern of their illustrious running careers, senior twins Curtis and Nick Wheeler (Derby, VT) finished first and third (respectively) in the 5,000 meter race, with Curtis turning in a school record 14 minutes, 37.99 seconds.
The brothers both qualified for the Eastern Collegiate Athletics Conference Division III championship race, held this past weekend, where Curtis won the 5,000 meter race. He finished 15 seconds ahead of the second place runner and earned a spot in the Division III national championships. He is currently ranked 14th in the Div. III nation in the 5,000 meters.
The Huskies came in a best-ever fifth place meet on Saturday. The team picked up six points in the second day of competition thanks to junior Doug Mercer’s third place finish in the 500 meters, and Jimmy Sawyer’s seventh place 400 result.
But Mercer and Sawyer were not done yet, together with relay-mates Murchie and Gobbi, they earned the team four points with a fifth place finish in the 4 x 400.
Freshman Sam Bennett (Gray-New Gloucester, ME), not daunted by the ECAC Championship atmosphere, set a personal best in the 1,000 meter race of 2:35.69, to earn 13th place.
Senior pole-vaulter Adam Haggerty (Hermon) finished eighth with a vault of 4.40 meters-just over 14’5″-for which he earned all-ECAC honors. Vaulting teammate sophomore John Davis (Westbrook, ME) tied for 12th with a vault of 4.25 meters.
For complete see the USM athletics website at usm.maine.edu/athletics and look for future coverage by The Free Press.