Bulldogs shine in Bryant Invitational
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – With more than 16 schools and several clubs in attendance, the Bryant University track and field team shined in the 2011 Bryant Invitational at the track and turf complex Saturday afternoon. In the 38-event competition, the Bulldogs put forth solid performances in a number of events throughout the day and recorded five top-10 finishes in the third annual meet.
"We really put in a solid effort today despite the winds and coldness at times," said head track and field coach Stephanie Reilly. "It's still early in the season and we have a long way to go before the conference meet, but I liked what I saw today in how we competed among some of the best in New England."
UConn, Providence and Rhode Island were all on hand, in addition to conference foes Quinnipiac and Sacred Heart.
On the women's side, Bryant was led by senior Sherika Nicholas (East Patchogue, N.Y.) who hit her stride in the second meet of the spring season. Nicholas continued her dominance in the 100 meter dash, as the New York native won her heat with a time of 13.24 and finished 11th overall.
Nicholas would also run to a ninth-place spot in the 200m dash with a 27.04 mark, giving the senior two top-12 finishes on the day.
Nicholas would go on to claim third place in the women's 4x100 meter relay alongside Amanda Dilley (Bridgewater, Mass.), Amy Hutchinson (Exeter, R.I.) and Kimberly Warner (Shrewsbury, Mass.) with a 53.02 mark.
On the men's side, Scott Twardowski (Rehoboth, Mass.) generated a strong showing, highlighted by a second-place finish in the 1500m run with a time of 4:02.55. Twardowski's mark came just .34 hundreths of a second behind the leader.
Joining Twardowski at the head of the pack was junior Ryan Busy (Derry, N.H.), who finished right behind the senior in the 1500m run with a third-place time of 4:02.75.
Ben Polichronopoulos (South Berwick, Maine) was another long-distance runner who performed exceptionally well for the Black and Gold, as the Maine native finished sixth in the 800m run with a time of 1:59.53.
Once again, Bryant performed well in the relay events, as Michael DiBella (Upper Saddle River, N.J.), Kyle Reid (North Raynham, Mass.), Joseph Pugliano (West Springfield, Mass.) and Anthony Monteiro (Leominster, Mass.) finished sixth out of 17 teams in the 4x400m relay with a 3:29.81 mark.
The men's side also had much success in the short distance, with Reid and Pugliano finishing in the top ten of the 100m dash with times of 11.34 and 11.49 respectively. Michael Arons (West Hartford, Conn.) would also record a top-20 spot in the field with a 17th-place time of 11.56.
Monteiro added a sixth-place finish to his outing in the 110m hurdles, with the Leominster native crossing the finish line in 15.74.
In the field, Chris Brida (Southampton, Mass.) picked up where he left off in the indoor season, taking gold in the men's triple jump with a 13.69m distance. Brida was not finished there, though, taking ninth overall in the long jump with a 5.93m leap.
The Bulldogs return to action Saturday, April 9 with a trip to Lowell, Mass. for the George Davis Invitational.
