Three throwers were in action over spring break for the men's track and field team, which opened the outdoor season at the Bridgewater State Invitational on Saturday.
Senior tri?captain Adam Aronson, senior Andre Figueroa and junior Curtis Yancy each started their seasons by hitting solid marks at the non?scoring meet.
Coming off of his national indoor appearance in the weight throw, Yancy won the discus on Saturday with a heave of 141?2. Aronson also placed in the event, taking sixth with a toss of 122?6.
The pair also found success in the hammer throw, an event unique to the outdoor season. Yancy's throw of 163?1 was good enough for runner?up, while Aronson was just behind in third with a hurl of 162?2.
"I was very happy with [my throw]. We worked hard indoors, and obviously a PR is a good thing," Aronson said. "I think everybody on the team likes hammer a lot, so it feels good to be outdoors, and it was great weather."
Aronson was also impressed with Yancy's performance.
"Curtis's hammer throw was great," he said. "He notched a second?place finish, and he PR'ed by a small amount. We know there's a lot more coming out of Curtis this year. He had a great indoor season, topping it off with the national appearance, and we expect some big things from him in hammer."
Aronson also had a strong finish in the shot put, taking eighth with a distance of 40?1/2. Figueroa took 16th in the event with a toss of 35?3 3/4.
The throwers will look to improve on these solid early?season efforts going forward.
"This was a good way to start some momentum in the outdoor season," Aronson said. "Track is a sport of momentum, so to get a couple good marks from throwers can inspire some people to step it up."
The Jumbos will come together for their first full?squad meet on Saturday when they host the Snowflake Classic at the Dussault Track.
"It's the first meet back, so I'd like to see some guys just feel out where they are right now, get some good marks, hopefully get some PRs and have some fun," Aronson said. "Snowflake is a great meet, especially when there are going to be 50?something teams there, so I hope the guys really enjoy it. It will be a great way to start off our season and get the ball rolling."
