Volume CXXXIII, Number 16 February 15, 2002 f

Men's track strides to victory
TAYLOR WASHBURN
STAFF WRITER

The average American is confused by track & field. The events and distances seem random, the times and scores appear arbitrary and the rules tend to be confusing. Nevertheless, anybody who has ever been forced to struggle through a mile in gym class can appreciate the performances of Bowdoin distance runners Pat Vardaro '03 and Scott Barbuto '03 in Saturday's Maine State Championship. The two covered a distance of 5,000-meters (3.1 miles, in layman's terms) in meet-record times of 14:53 and 15:00, respectively. This means your friends Pat and Scott ran an average pace of almost 4:47 per mile. And they did this for more than three miles. That's enough to make your head spin.

(Colin LeCroy, Bowdoin Orient)

Vardaro and Barbuto were hardly the meet's only stars, however, as the Polar Bears united to give cross-state rivals Colby, Bates and the University of Southern Maine a solid drubbing. Bowdoin's point total dwarfed that accumulated by the White Mules, Bobcats and Huskies and enabled the squad to follow in the footsteps of the Bowdoin women, who won their own Maine championship meet at USM last Wednesday.

Sophomore high jumper James Wilkins turned in one of the day's most impressive marks with a leap of 6'10". This not only won the meet by nearly a foot, but also ranks Wilkins among the best jumpers in NCAA III. Senior captain Nick Lyford overcame injury to contribute a big victory in the shot put and Bowdoin vaulters Mike Butler '02, Brian Grandjean '04, Jon Todd '05, and Tim Pasekarnis '03 combined to take places two through five in their event.

Sophomore sprint duo Brian Laurits and Phil Webster continued to roll over the competition as they ran to victory in the 200-meter and 400-meter events. Both runners recorded their best times of the season and both contributed to yet another victorious effort in the 4x400-meter relay. They were joined on the podium by freshman sensation Kareem Canada, who narrowly edged out a Bates hurdler in the 55-meter hurdles to win his first state championship.

The middle-distance events were typically strong for the Bears. Ruddy Bowdoin senior Dave "Mad Dog" Wall continued his whirlwind comeback with a gutsy victory in the 1,000-meters. In the 600-meters, freshman Greydon Foil and sophomore Steve Franklin battled a USM runner en route to taking first and third in a photo finish. The half-mile run was won by junior Byron Boots, who completed four laps in a very good time of 1:56. Milers Scott Herrick '04 and Ben Piesch '05 also racked up points for the team, taking third and fifth in 4:24 and 4:26.