The AU track team returned to Philadelphia and ran in the Penn Relays, the oldest and largest track competition in the United States. And once again the team returned to campus with pride after a successful outing.
In the 116th running of the relays, AU won its section and placed ninth overall in the college men’s distance medley relay with a time of 9:54.93. The time was good enough for ninth place overall, a mere .02 showing — seconds behind eighth place Louisiana State University. Junior Colin Eustis also competed at the meet, finishing 17th in the 5000 meter championship.
The team of Jeff Brannigan, Matt Farrow, Connor Sullivan and Craig Brown beat out the University of Maryland, as well as Patriot League rivals Bucknell University and the U.S. Military Academy, en route to their ninth place finish. Brannigan got the Eagles off to a quick start and finished the 1200 meter leg in just over three minutes before passing the baton to Farrow. The freshman grabbed the baton in fourth place and managed to gain ground on the field with a 48.3 lap. When it was time to hand off for the 800 meter leg, AU was right in the mix.
Junior Sullivan, a New York native, received Farrow’s exchange and pushed the Eagles to the front of the pack with a stellar time of 1:53:35. This left it up to Brown to protect their B section lead in the final mile. The sophomore strategically watched a few competitors pass him until the final lap, when he surged ahead and captured the victory. The team finished nearly three seconds ahead of the second place B section team and only two seconds behind the hometown team from the University of Pennsylvania.
Eustis also had a great showing in the college men’s 5000 meter championship. After recording the ninth-fastest time in AU history two weeks ago, the junior from Delhi, New York finished with a time of 14:22.65. Despite finishing in the middle of the field, Eustis was only .11 away from his personal best that he set earlier in the season.
With the Penn Relays in the books, the track and field program will now turn its attention to the Patriot League Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The meet will take place on the final weekend in April at Bucknell’s Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.
You can reach this writer at sports@theeagleonline.com.
