Bulldogs open indoor campaign at Alden Invitational on Brown’s campus Saturday

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University men's and women's indoor track and field teams begin the 2016-17 season competing at the Alden Invitational on the campus of Brown University this Saturday, Dec. 3.

Coming off an indoor season in which the team set nine school records, earned three medals at the Northeast Conference Championships and saw three athletes compete at the IC4A/ECAC Championships, the Bulldogs return a handful of key performers from a season ago and bring in a plethora of eager freshmen. The collection of familiar and new faces will look to accomplish even more in 2016-17 and elevate the program to new heights.

"This is a very balanced and deep team this year," said head track and field coach Mitchell Switzer. "We have a very talented freshman class with high quality athletes who have brought a great excitement and energy to practice each day. The seniors have been very focused on being successful and the entire coaching staff has looked towards those leaders to create a positive environment for everyone."

The Distance

Arguably the most decorated crew on the team, the distance runners return a combination of experience and talent with multiple runners capable of scoring points throughout the season.

For the women, junior Melissa Lodge (Hopkinton, Mass.) headlines the returners following a season in which she posted top times of 3:00.23 in the 1000, good for the second-best mark in school history. She also posted a top time of 5:02.86 in the mile and 10:15.64 in the 3000, good for third and fifth best in school history, respectively. She won a bronze in the mile at the NECs and competed at the New England Championships.

Joining Lodge is senior Emily McNeil (Shelton, Conn.), who finished fifth in the mile at the NEC Championships and also competed in the New England Championships. Freshman Jacklyn Sullivan (Plymouth, Mass.) had a solid fall running cross country and is expected to have a productive indoor season.

For the men, seniors Milan Duka (Belgrade, Serbia) and Richard Landry (Holyoke, Mass.) are poised to lead the Bulldogs, as they did for much of last season. The two had strong cross country seasons and Duka will look to add to the three school records he set indoors in 2015-16.

Duka set Bryant records in the 800 with a time of 1:54.89 at the Joe Donahue Games, the record in the mile with a time of 4:15.37 at the Terrier Invitational and the record in the 1000 with a time of 2:26.37 at the New England Championships. He finished seventh in the 800 at the NEC Championships and fourth in the 1000 at the New England Championships.

Landry posted top times of 1:59.60 in the 800, 2:37.42 in the 1000 and 4:16.31 in the mile, which was the third-fastest in program history. Along with the two male leaders, freshman Christopher Wrenn (Norton, Mass.) has impressed throughout the fall and brings a long list of accomplishments with him to Bryant. While at Norton High School, Wrenn set school records for the 600m in 2016, the 4x800m in 2014, the 4x400m in 2015 and the 4x1600m in 2014.

"The distance group is very deep and push each other each and every day," said Switzer. "Everyone had a strong cross country campaign which will translate very well onto the track."

The Sprinters

For the men, junior Deion Raper (Brockton, Mass.) was the team's top speedster last season and will aim to add more records to his resume. He set the school record in the 60m hurdles at the New England Championships with a time of 8.35. Junior Andrew Franco (Ridgefield, Conn.) was one of Bryant's top sprinters in 2015-16, competing in the 60 and the 200 and posted top times of 7.53 in the 60 and 25.33 in the 200. Freshman Brian Murray (Westford, Mass.) has looked good during the fall, as he set the Westford Academy record in the 300m with a time of 36.10 seconds and was also the Dual County League runner up.

On the women's side, a handful of runners covering all four classes will have chances to score points. Junior MiaLynne Park (Jewett City, Conn.) will lead the group following a year in which she competed in the 60m, 200m, 300m and 400m. She posted top times of 8.08 in the 60, 25.65 in the 200, 41.79 in the 300 and 59.18 in the 400 and competed at the New England Championships.

Senior Rebecca Nunez (Greenwich, Conn.) competed in the 60m, 200m, 300m, 400m and 500m, while posting top times of 8.79 in the 60, 27.91 in the 200, 47.36 in the 300, 1:03.33 in the 400 and 1:22.71 in the 500. Sophomore Melissa Hurwitz (Newton, Mass.) had a solid freshman year competing in the 60m hurdles. She posted the second-fasted mark in Bryant's history with a time of 9.50.

The Bulldogs add another exciting freshman to the sprinters in Emily Cluck (Johnston City, N.Y.). She owns a wildly decorated high school resume with school records in the indoor 55 meter, indoor 200 meter, indoor 300 meter, indoor 600 meter, indoor 800 meter, indoor 4x200 meter, indoor SMR, indoor DMR, indoor 4x800 meter, outdoor 100 meter, outdoor 200 meter and outdoor 400 meter.

"This is a very strong event group in the NEC from top to bottom," said Switzer. "But with the core group we have and the freshmen we've brought in, we expect to score points in some events that we have not in the past."

The Jumpers & Vaulters

This group may lack experience compared to others on the team, but it is certainly not devoid of potential and talent. On the men's side, sophomore Kyle Ivanov (Ipswich, Mass.) had a strong rookie season. He posted a season-best jump of 5.88m at the NEC Championships and also competed in the 60 and 200. Freshman James Giumetti (Duxbury, Mass.) owns the Duxbury High School record for indoor long jump set in 2015 and was the Patriot League long jump champion in 2016.

Senior leader Hayes Watson (Glastonbury, Conn.) set the school record in the pole vault with a height of 4.65m in 2014-15, but suffered a season-ending injury last year after competing in just three events. He will provide leadership and stability to both the men and women.

As for the ladies, sophomore pole vaulter Alexandra Watts (Clinton, Conn.) is back following an excellent rookie campaign. She set the school record with a height of 3.20m during indoor season. Along with Watts is do-it-all junior Rebecca Varney (East Longmeadow, Mass.), who competed in the 800m, 60m hurdles, high jump, long jump and the shot put last year. She posted top jumps of 1.49m in the high and 4.75m in the long. And Hurwitz posted the third-best triple jump in school history a season ago.  

Another new face to the team is a familiar face to Bryant University, and that is junior Amber Thomas (Rochester, N.Y.). The second-team All-NEC selection as one of the defenders for the women's soccer squad won the Triple Jump Sectional Championship three-straight years from 2010-12 while at Aquinas Institute.

"The jumps crew is a very young group that has developed extremely well over the fall and training period," said Switzer.

The Throwers

A veteran group with no freshmen will be led by senior Jonee Harrison (Dorchester, Mass.) on the women's side and junior Mike Cooke (Wrentham, Mass.) for the men.

Harrison was stellar during her junior year indoor campaign, posted season-best throws of 10.26m in the shot put and 15.68m in the weight throw, which was the second-best in program history. Cooke competed in the shot put and the weight throw as well, posting top throws of 12.52m in the weight throw and 13.66m in the shot put at the NEC Championships.

"Our throwers are our most experienced group and we're expecting them to have a big impact on our team in many ways," said Switzer.

"Overall this team has a lot of potential, not just this year but over the next few years," said Switzer. "I think this first meet can give us a real good benchmark going forward and hopefully a lot of positives to build on before the season really gets going in January."