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Saturday, Feb. 18, 2006
DAVID NICHOLSON NEW ENGLAND CHAMP AT 400 METERS
Five individuals in five events gain All-New England distinction at DIII meet
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Senior David Nicholson (WINDSOR) won the 400 meter sprint for his first New England championship and junior Matthew Zagura (ELLINGTON) earned All-New England distinction in the shot put and hammer Saturday at the men’s New England Division III Indoor Track and Field Championship at Shobrys and Aronson Track on the MIT campus.
Seeded first at 400 meters, Nicholson became the first Eastern athlete to win a New England indoor championship since Jason Edwards in the long jump in 2002 on the way to a fourth-place finish in national competition. Nicholson was timed in 49.46 – his fastest time in New England indoor competition – in edging University of Southern Maine freshman Jimmy Sawyer (49.68). Nicholson has been named All-New England at 400 meters in all four seasons indoors with finishes of eighth, fourth, and last year, second.
The top eight individuals and relays in each event are accorded All-New England honors.
Seeded fourth in the shot put, Zagura placed fourth with a mark of 49-10 ½. Seeded sixth in the 35-pound weight, Zagura was seventh with a mark of 51-6 ¾. Zagura repeated All-New England honors in both events, earning that distinction with a seventh-place finish in the weight last year and an eighth-place finish in the shot as a freshman.
Senior David Pavia (STAMFORD) ran to All-New England honors at 55 meters for the second straight year. Seeded seventh, Pavia placed eighth in a time of 6.66 in the finals after recording a time of 6.68 in the preliminaries. Pavia also finished eighth last year.
Seeded sixth, the 4x400 relay team ran to a third-place finish with a season-best time of 3:23.98. The time was more than three seconds faster than its seeded time and qualified the relay for next weekend’s New England Open Championship at Boston University. Earning All-New England recognition in the relay were Pavia, junior Mark Lewis (WINDSOR), first-year sophomore Archie Joseph (LIVINGSTON, NJ) and Nicholson.
In addition to the relay and 55, Pavia competed in the long jump, placing tenth with a mark of 20-10. First-year sophomore Tope Ayeni (LAGOS, NIGERIA) was seeded third at 55 meters and placed in a tie for ninth in a time of 6.72. Ayeni set the program record of 6.57 in that event in last weekend’s New England Alliance/Little East Conference Championship. Joseph also qualified to compete at 55 and 200 meters. He was timed in 6.78 in the preliminaries of the 55 and 23.33 in the preliminaries of the 200 meter dash. Lewis was tenth at 600 meters in a time of 1:25.23, finishing just over a half-second out of eight place, and sophomore Will Kopplin (LEDYARD) was 16th in the weight throw (43-9 ¼). Junior Rory Maxwell (WALLINGFORD), the Eastern indoor recordholder in the pole vault (14-6), competed in his specialty but did not clear a height. The event was won by Adam Haggerty of Southern Maine with a mark of 13-6.
Also competing was the distance medley relay, which had set the program record of 11:09.38 Jan. 28. The relay was seeded 13th but finished tenth in a time of 11:19.54. Competitors in the relay were junior Shawn McGirl (WALLINGFORD), freshman Ryan Rossi (STAFFORD SPRINGS), senior Josh Lowney (COLUMBIA) and sophomore Michael Curley (BRANFORD). McGirl and Curley had been part of the record-setting relay in January.
As a team, Eastern compiled its highest point total (24) and recorded its highest finish (10th) ever. Last year, the Warriors were tied for 11th with 23 points. The meet was won for the second straight year by Williams College, which accumulated 153 points.
