Men's Track and Field Wins Wagner College Shootout

Staten Island, NY – The Wagner College men's track and field team hosted the annual Wagner College Shootout at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex on Friday afternoon, and took home top honors by racking up a total of 158 points. The Green & White produced the top two finishers in the 3000m run, as junior Jonathan Besselinkcaptured first place honors with a time of 8:37.35. Sophomore Trausti Thorstein placed second among the Division I runners, with a time of 8:40.38 while freshman Sean Weir rounded out the top-five Seahawk performances with a finals time of 9:25.65. Wagner had strong showings in the 300m and 600m from a quartet of freshmen. Cyril Babcaneccrossed the finish line first with a time of 35.26 while Nick Ferrentino clocked in at 36.53 in fourth place. In the 600m finals, William Cuthbertson led the way with a time of 1:22.15 while classmate Mahmoud Abdalla placed second at 1:24.65. Senior Matthew Whalen and junior Nick Velez picked up a pair of first-place finishes in the 1000m and the mile, respectively. Whalen won the 1000m run with a time of 2:33.38 while Velez turned in a time of 4:25.21. Freshman Christopher Hernandez came in third in the mile, posting a time of 4:39.84. The 4x400m relay squad, composed of Babcanec, Thomas Corel, Cuthbertson, and Abdalla, came in third among the Division I schools, with a time of 3:23.09. In the field events, sophomore Andrew Ramsammy took home top honors in the high jump event, clearing the bar at 1.85m, while senior Justin Mirfield won the long jump event with his best jump landing at 6.71m. Sophomore Keegan Reidy finished second in the triple jump with a mark of 12.05m. Freshman Corey Durden finished second in the shot put finals with his best launch reaching 14.61m. Jake Hankins came in third at 12.22m while newcomer Michael Pepe finished sixth at 11.78m. These three student-athletes also competed in the weight throw, which Durden went on to capture top honors with a mark of 12.22m. Haskins placed second at 11.71m while Pepe took fourth at 11.06m. The men's track & field team will open the New Year on January 7, 2019 when they host the Wagner College Invitational at the Ocean Breeze Track & Field Athletic Complex.