HPU’s Udvadia Wins 1500m On Day One Of VertKlasse

• Freshman Ryan Udvadia won his first career 1500m run in a time of 3:54.85
• Senior Christian Spaulding (redshirting for HPU) set a new meet record in the javelin (67.66m, 222-0) while competing for his native Ecuador
• Junior Benji Szalai led the Panthers with a third-place finish in the 3000m steeplechase (9:10.64)

HIGH POINT, N.C. – Freshman Ryan Udvadia claimed victory in his first ever 1500m run to lead the High Point University men’s track & field team on day one of the 2015 VertKlasse Meeting Friday inside Vert Stadium.

Udvadia crossed the finish line in 3:54.07 to claim the first individual outdoor title of his HPU career. Sophomore Vinny Todaro finished fifth in a collegiate PR of a 3:54.85, while junior Paddy Grandinali also recorded a PR en route to a ninth-place finish (3:56.07). Junior Paul O’Donoghue finished 14th in 3:57.59 and sophomore Chernet Sisay was 25th in 4:05.82.

Senior Christian Spaulding – who is redshirting for HPU this season – won the javelin while competing for his native Ecuador with a throw of 67.66m (222-0). The throw set a new meet record by more than four meters. Sophomore Eric Purnell eclipsed his PR by five meters and placed ninth with a throw of 47.18m (154-9). Redshirt-senior decathlete Tristan Faure was 17th with a mark of 40.74m (133-8).

Junior Benji Szalai led the Panthers with a third-place finish in the 3000m steeplechase (9:10.64) while senior Chris Colo finished fourth with a PR of 9:12.65. Szalai’s time is the 16th fastest in the NCAA East Region this season. Freshman James Quattlebaum was eighth in 9:35.99 and redshirt-senior John Yankello finished 12th in a PR of 9:59.74.

In throws action, junior Jim Wilson placed 12th in the shot put with a season-best mark of 13.75m (45-1.50) while Faure was 32nd at 10.96m (35-11.5).

Sophomore Isaiah Henderson competed in the participation portion of the pole vault Friday and set a new individual PR of 4.32m (14-2) en route to a sixth-place finish in the event

Junior Cody Seymour placed 19th in the 5000m run with a time of 15:38.36.

The Panthers resume action on day two of the VertKlasse Meeting Saturday at 9:30 a.m.

About The VertKlasse Meeting
This weekend’s event marks the seventh annual HPU VertKlasse Meeting. The VertKlasse Meeting is a European-style meet that features a small amount of high-level competitors, creating a fast-moving, exciting competition. The name “VertKlasse” is based on the Weltklasse Zürich meet (pronounced VELT-class ZUR-ick, German for World Class Zurich), a famed international meet held annually in Switzerland. The name “Vert” was added in honor of two of HPU’s greatest benefactors and alumni, Dick and Peg Vert, for whom Vert Stadium is named. Dick Vert was a member of the HPU cross country and track teams in the 1960s.