Tuxbury, Decker shine on day 1 of NECs
BULLDOGS COMPETE AT DAY ONE OF 2013 NEC CHAMPIONSHIPS
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Freshman Annmarie Tuxbury (New Hartford, Conn.) and senior Patrick Decker (Colchester, Conn.) both scored points for the Bryant University track and field team on day one of the 2013 Northeast Conference Track and Field Championships in Landover, Md.
Monmouth University leads on the men's and women's side after day one, collecting 37.5 and 42.5 points, respectively. The Bulldogs are currently ninth on the men's side with four points and 10th on the women's side with five points.
Two weeks after setting the school record in the 3000, Tuxbury entered Saturday's competition as the No. 2 seed in the event. The NEC Cross Country Rookie of the Year finished fourth with a time of 10:10.62. Bryant's top pole vaulter for the past four seasons, Decker etched his name into the Bryant record book on Saturday afternoon. The senior finished fifth in the pole vault with a school-record height of 14'1.25" (4.3m). The record had stood since 2007 and he becomes the first Bulldog to eclipse the 14-foot mark at a meet.
Bryant also received top-10 finishes from Tyler Egner (Niantic, Conn.) and Martha Reynolds (London, England). Egner finished ninth in the pole vault, also eclipsing the school record with a height of 13'9.25" (4.2m). An All-NEC runner during the cross country season, Reynolds qualified for the finals in the mile run with a time of 5:11.23.
The championships conclude on Sunday at the Prince George Sports and Learning Complex. Competition on Sunday begins at 9:30 a.m.