LHU Men’s Track & Field opens outdoor season with notable individual marks
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – The Lock Haven men’s track and field team opened the 2024 season with a busy three-days (Thurs. – Sat., March 14-16) of competition in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina at the 2024 Alan Connie Shamrock Invitational, and the Bald Eagles’ effort was headlined by a number of sensational individual efforts.
Leading the way was Matthew Muthler (Pottstown, Pa./Owen J. Roberts) and Peter Bellomo (Jersey Shore, Pa./Jersey). The two hit Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) championship qualifying marks, NCAA Division II championship qualifying marks and recorded all-time top-five performances.
Competing in the decathlon Thursday and Friday, Muthler racked up 6,422 points on the way to the victory. The NCAA provisional mark is a personal-best and the fifth-best mark in school history.
Bellomo made his long-awaited javelin debut Friday, and he didn’t disappoint. He took first with a PSAC and NCAA qualifying mark of 208-00, the fifth-best mark all-time in Lock Haven history.
Overall, competition started Thursday (March 14) and Lock Haven went right to work.
Highlighting Day 1 was Ethan Rogers’ (Hershey, Pa./Hershey) PSAC qualifying time of 32:50.42 in the 10,000-meter event.
Lock Haven racked up three PSAC qualifiers in the men’s hammer throw as Eric Zalar (Shamokin, Pa./Shamokin), Nathan Fetchkan (Newville, Pa./Big Spring) and Colton Myers (Boiling Springs, Pa./Cumberland Valley) all hit marks with solid throws. Zalar was sixth with a mark of 156-03, while Fetchkan and Myers threw 151-08 (10th) and 147-11 (15th), respectively.
Other notable Friday (March 15) performances came from Kwame Whitaker Jr. (Fredericksburg, Va./Courtland) and Matt Reinard (Camp Hill, Pa./Cumberland Valley). Reinard ran 15.70 in the 110-meter hurdles.
Whitaker was eighth overall and hit a PSAC mark in the long jump with a leap of 22-07.75.
Today (Saturday, March 16), on the third and final day of the meet, Gavin Furey (Williamsport, Pa./Williamsport) led the way. He opened the day with a 4:19.58 effort in the mile. As the top Division II finisher in the field, he was third overall. Furey returned to run 1:57.16 in the 800-meter run.
Ryan Miller (Bradford, Pa./Bradford) ran 49.32 for a PSAC mark at 400 meters in his return to action.
Whitaker added a PSAC mark at 200 meters with an effort of 22.24 today.
Braedon Firanksi (Clearfield, Pa./Clearfield) added a PSAC mark in the discus with a throw of 141-08. He was eighth overall today.
Chase Young (Mill Hall, Pa./Central Mountain) rounded out the day with a top-10 performance in the triple jump (42-11.50).
Up Next for Lock Haven:
The Bald Eagles will return to action on Wednesday, March 27 and Thursday, March 28 when they take part in the two-day Midweek Tri-Meet. Wednesday’s action will be held at Bloomsburg and Thursday’s action will be held at home in The Haven.
