Bulldogs open indoor season Saturday at Brown Invitational
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University men's and women's indoor track and field teams open the 2015-16 season this Saturday, Dec. 5 when they make the short trip to Providence to compete in the Brown Invitational.
The Bulldogs are coming off a record-breaking season in 2014-15, one in which they set 17 new school records, earned seven medals at the NEC Championships and also sent eight to the ECAC/IC4A Championships.
Women
Bryant brings back a familiar cast of characters but will also look to a trio of newcomers this winter. As a group, the Black and Gold are poised to score in multiple events.
Leading the pack will be senior Kristen Hayes (Menands, N.Y.). One of the most decorated runners in Bryant's Division I history, Hayes will once again compete in the 400 and 500 during the indoor season. She is coming off a junior season in which she set school records in both events and finished fifth in the 400 at the New England Championships. Hayes also helped the 4x400 relay team break an eight-year old school record last winter.
Hayes will be surrounded by experience with the return of classmate Nicole Dempsey (Norwell, Mass.), junior Jonee Harrison (Dorchester, Mass.) and sophomore MiaLynne Park (Jewett City, Conn.). Dempsey will once again compete in the 60m dash and the long jump during the winter. She posted the third-fastest 60m time in school history last year and earned a top-eight finish in the long jump at the conference championships. Park put together a fantastic rookie season, earning a bronze medal in the 400 at the NEC Championships, and returns as one of the top 400 runners in the conference this season. Harrison will be Bryant's leader in the throw events and is coming off a sophomore season in which she qualified for New Englands.
The Black and Gold will also welcome three new faces that could make a huge impact on the program; Melissa Lodge (Hopkinton, Mass.), Melissa Hurwitz (Newton, Mass.) and Alexandra Watts (Clinton, Conn.). Lodge, who sat out last year after transferring from Louisville, enjoyed a sensational prep career at the Hopkinton School, setting records in the 4xmile, 4x800, DMR and the 1500. Hurwitz, the younger sister of former Bryant women's soccer player Evelyn, comes to Bryant after helping Newton North win four-straight state titles. She was the Massachusetts DI champ in the 55m hurdles. Watts enjoyed a fine career at the Morgan School and will compete in the pole vault this winter.
Men
The Bulldog men return an experienced group led by seniors Russell Stevens (Colchester, Conn.) and Adam Malone (Speonk, N.Y.) and junior Hayes Watson (Glastonbury, Conn.).
Stevens is coming off a strong cross country season and is expected to lead Bryant in the distance events this winter. He will compete in the 5k. Malone will once again compete in the triple jump for the Black and Gold. He was a New England qualifier last season after posting a jump of 14.15m. Watson has set the bar high in his first two seasons as Bryant's pole vaulter. Last year, he set the school record in the event during the outdoor and indoor seasons, qualifying for the indoor New England Championships.
Bryant also welcomes back a strong underclassmen group led by Milan Duka (Belgrade, Serbia) and Justin Patterson (Marshfield, Mass.). A two-time All-NEC selection in cross county, Duka was a bronze medalist in the mile at the NEC Indoor Championships last winter. Patterson found his groove during his rookie outdoor season and will hope to carry that into this winter. An NEC All-Rookie team honoree, Patterson will compete in the 400.
Joining them will be the trio of sophomores Deion Raper (Brockton, Mass.), Kehma Johnson (Milford, Mass.) and freshman Thomas Graham (Newburyport, Mass.). Raper qualified for the New England Championships in the 60m hurdles, Johnson set the school record in the triple jump as a rookie and Graham has high expectations after a strong cross country season.