Records Fall as Indoor Track Competes at BU Last Chance Meet
Seniors Jake Skurja and Dan McSolla each established personal best times and program records in the 200-meter dash and the mile, respectively
BOSTON, Mass. – A pair of personal bests and program records were set as three Wentworth Institute of Technology indoor track runners set out to qualify for the 2018 NCAA Division III Men's & Women's Indoor Track Championships at the Boston University Last Chance Meet Sunday afternoon.
Seniors Jake Skurja (Stratford, Conn.) and Dan McSolla (Bridgewater, Mass.) each recorded the fastest time of both their careers and in program history in the 200-meter run and the mile, respectively, and, McSolla's time put him in a solid position to qualify for the national championships for the second straight season.
Skurja began the day competing in the 400-meter run where he was second in his heat with a time of 49.71; his second-fastest time of the season. That time was also good enough to place 15th in the 39-runner field.
McSolla's program-record time of 4:08.13 shaved 0.50 seconds of his previous personal best (and program record), which he set at this meet last season and that time ultimately qualified him for the 2017 NCAA Championships. His time was the sixth-fastest in his heat and he was 34th of 87 runners in a fast field where the winning time was 3:53.40.
Classmate Patrick Hopkins (Lansdale, Pa.) where he ran a time of 4:23.82, marking the second-fastest time of his career. Hopkins finished 69th overall in the field.
Skurja round out the day by establishing a personal best and a program record in the 200-meter dash as he crossed the line with a time of 22.32. This time was third in his heat and overall was 29th out of 42 runners.
The Leopards will have one last chance to see if there are any NCAA qualifiers next weekend as selected individuals will compete in the Tufts University Last Chance Meet on Saturday, March 3.
For the latest on Wentworth Athletics, follow the Leopards via social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Fans can also download the Wentworth Leopards "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market.