Nine point-earning finishes combined for 56.5 team points over the weekend. PHOTO CREDIT: Connor Zisk
The University of Rhode Island’s Men’s Track and Field team traveled to Boston University over the weekend to compete against 41 other universities in a battle for the Northeast’s top unit.
The Rams raced to a second place finish with 56.5 points, behind only Providence College, who sat atop the competition with 74 points.
Rhode Island’s 56.5 point outing as a team consisted of some noteworthy individual performers. URI saw nine of their athletes put points on the board for the University.
Those who stacked the board with points for URI were fifth-years Jack Reichenbach, Jonathan Buchanan, and Stephen Cirella. The lone scoring fourth-year was Jolon O’Connor. A loaded third-year class saw Matthew Santy, Alexander Baez, and Christopher Tavarone score points for URI. Lastly, second-years Jarrett Young and Mason Brubaker also found themselves with points at the end of the weekend.
It is no surprise to see a cluttered list of names when referring to individual success among this Rams roster, according to head coach Trent Baltzel.
“In order to have championship success, you have to have depth across the field,” Baltzel said.
The championship depth that coach Baltzell spoke so highly of was apparent in this season finale, as the nine point scorers for URI did so across seven different events.
In the High Jump, third-year Matthew Santy took home third place after clearing 2.06 meters. He was accompanied by teammate Reichenbach, where the fifth-year finished fifth at 1.96 meters.
Reichenbach continued his day leaps and bounds ahead of the competition, placing sixth in the long jump with 6.96m, bringing his point total to 6.5.
Both Buchanan and Baez showed off their strength in the weight throw, where Buchanan hurled a lengthy 19.25 meters, claiming second place. Baez was not far behind, earning third place after a throw of 18.21 meters.
The third and final day of the tournament saw four more Rams etch points next to their names. URI hogged two of the top-six spots in the 200 Meter Dash Final, when O’Connor crossed the finish line in 21.46 seconds, followed by Young just one-tenth of a second later, who earned sixth place with a 21.56 second finish.
Third-years Tavarone and Brubaker joined Santy as a third place finisher in their respective events.
It was a 16.79 meter shot put that resulted in a third place finish for Tavarone.
For Brubaker, a 4.90 meter pole vault was enough to place third, just 0.1 meters shy of first place.
Among the nine who earned points, fifth-year Stephen Cirella was the lone Ram who placed first in his respective events. He did so with a championship performance in his heptathlon win, finishing number one in the heptathlon shot put, high jump, and pole vault. His victory included a meet record shot put of 15.20 meters.
“The individual achievements are great and I know a lot of these guys are in it for their individual success, and we obviously need those to do well as a team, but it’s definitely not the same,” Baltzell said when discussing individual vs team success. “They do feel good, but at the end of the weekend, I walk away without that same sense of pride that I have after an A-10 championship win.”
Team success has always been the goal for URI, according to coach Batzell. While Cirella’s performance was not enough to capture first place, his achievements are not to be overlooked.
“Steve is exceptionally unique,” Batzell said. “I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who’s able to give 100% of themselves to their own craft, and then have something left over for those around them.”
This speaks volumes about the impact Cirella has had since transfering from Salve Regina, according to coach Batzell.
“There’s no way I could have predicted the amount of success that we could have achieved as both a team, and me myself individually”, Cirella said.
Cirella’s career has come to a fulfilling end, as he leaves URI an A-10 champion. But his impact will last long after his final heptathlon, according to coach Baltzell.
“I’m done with my track career after this one, so they’re carrying the torch from now on which I’m really excited about,” Cirella said.
Though Cirella may still be around to see the future success of the team as well, Baltzell also hinted at the possibility of a coaching or administrative role for Cirella.
“Hopefully he can be around for a long long time,” Baltzell said.
Both Batzell and Cirella have experienced immense success in their careers thus far, and they don’t see that slowing down for the future.
“If you have a culture of excellence, and a culture of knowing how to win. That allows you to push yourself beyond getting complacent”, Cirella said when discussing the team’s consistent success. “If we don’t work hard to attain our goal, which is to win the A-10 championship every year, someone can take it right out from under us”.
Based on their recent results, it is going to take a lot for anyone to take anything out from under the hooves of these Rams. They’ll look to add “NCAA regional champions” to their names as the team heads down to Jacksonville, Florida May 24th, for the NCAA regional championship.