GRANTHAM, Pa. – The Messiah men's track and field team competed in the Messiah Multi at Starry Track on Friday afternoon. Three Falcons (
Matthew Puleo,
Gavin Dunkerton, and
Ryan Thurber) concluded the closing events of the two-day decathlon event as senior
Matt Higgs turned in a strong performance in the 10,000m run, placing third overall with a time of 34:20.58.
Decathlon (Day Two)
Matthew Puleo,
Gavin Dunkerton, and
Ryan Thurber all competed in the closing events of the decathlon on Friday afternoon, competing in the 110m hurdles, discus throw, pole vault, javelin throw, and 1500m run.
At the end of Day One, Puleo stands in eighth-place (2576), Dunkerton stands in ninth-place (2539), and
Ryan Thurber stands in 12th-place (2399). Thurber had the performance of the day for Messiah, placing first overall in the 400m dash with a time of 54.08s. Thurber and Puleo highlighted the performances of the afternoon, each earning second-place finishes. Thurber placed second overall in the 1500m (4:50.14) as Puleo notched a second-place finish in the javelin throw (53.53m).
110m Hurdles
Matthew Puleo – 17.53m
Gavin Dunkerton – 18.58s
Ryan Thurber – 19.91s
Discus Throw
Gavin Dunkerton – 28.61m
Matthew Puleo – 27.78m
Ryan Thurber – 21.79m
Pole Vault
Matthew Puleo – 3.25m
Ryan Thurber – 2.45m
Gavin Dunkerton – 2.45m
Javelin Throw
Matthew Puleo – 53.53m
Gavin Dunkerton – 45.78m
Ryan Thurber – 25.70m
1500m Run
Ryan Thurber – 4:50.14
Gavin Dunkerton – 5:22.76
Matthew Puleo – 5:41.65
Overall, the three Falcons competed well in the decathlon event. Puleo recorded a sixth-place finish with a score of 4970, Dunkerton a 10th-place finish with a score of 4639, and Thurber a 12th-place finish, accumulating a total of 4149 points. Misericordia's Matthew Maransky topped all competition with a top score of 5674.
10,000m
Messiah had three runners compete in the 10,000m run. Higgs, as mentioned, recorded a strong third-place finish with a time of 34:20.58.
Jonathan Wyrick (34:53.49) and
James Sahakian (34:55.79) each turned in strong performances as well as Messiah earned a total of 12 team points between the three runners. Scranton's Liam Mead topped the field of 10 runners, earning a winning time of 33:09.40.
Discus Throw
Two Falcons competed in the discus throw. Christian Pilawksi registered an impressive mark of 36.15m, placing eighth overall and earning Messiah one team point. Hoyt Lechthaler also represented the Falcons in the throwing event, earning a mark of 36.00m, placing ninth-overall in a competitive field of 22 throwers.
What's Next
The Falcons compete in the Messiah Invitational tomorrow at Starry Track, beginning at 9:00 a.m.
