Owls Win Six Events at Jerry Gravel Classic.

WESTFIELD, Mass. -- Westfield State student athletes won six individual events on Saturday as the Owls placed second as a team at the 2023 Jerry Gravel Classic track and field meet at the Gravel Track and Alumni Field on Saturday.

Colby Ranck took home top honors in two events, outdistancing his foes in the triple jump with a top mark of 13.18 meters, and topping the field in the long jump with a leap of 6.65 meters.

Shane Clark won the javelin with a career best mark of 57.57 meters, which currently places him 16^th on the NCAA Division III national qualifying list.   He was also second in discus with a toss of 39.97 meters.

Westfield also utilized its depth in several events, as Mike Maher and Brendan Hager ran 1-2 in the 1500 meters with Maher hitting the wire first in a time of 4:15.64.

The Owls swept the top four spots in the 800 meters, led by John Nekitopoulos in first in 1:59.80, with Gordon Johnson, Rowan Gottschall and Nick Hanley following him home.

Owls senior Kyle O'Brien won the 400 meters with a time of 53.10.  He, and Brendan DeBarber were recognized in Westfield's pre-meet senior day ceremony. DeBarber's best senior day performance came in the javelin, where he took fifth place honors, and he competed in the 100, 200 and the Owls 4x100 unit on the day as well.

Brogan Madden's second place in the high jump with mark 1.80m rounded out Westfield's top performances.

UMass Dartmouth won the team scoring with 212 points, followed by Westfield at 188, Utica at 183, and Wheaton with 12.

The meet is named in honor of the Owls longtime track and field coach, Jerry Gravel, who passed away in 2019.

Westfield State will next compete at the Trinity College Invitational on Saturday, April 22 to tune up for the MASCAC Championships which will be contested on April 29 at Fitchburg State University.