HPU Men’s Track & Field Recaps From Duke

Colo runs spectacular steeple at Duke Twilight (Day Two)
• Senior Chris Colo finished second in the 3000m steeplechase in a PR of 9:01.10
• Junior Will Narramore finished third in the triple jump (14.34m, 47-0.75)
• Junior Jim Wilson placed fourth in the shot put with a season-best mark of 14.43m (47-4.25)

DURHAM, N.C. – Senior Chris Colo ran the best 3000m steeplechase of his High Point University career to lead the men’s track & field team during Thursday action at the Duke Twilight event.

Colo has cut time off of his steeple PR throughout the outdoor season and continued that trend with an outstanding time of 9:01.10 and a second-place finish in Durham. The time is the second-fastest in the Big South this season and the 42nd-best in the NCAA East Region in 2015. The time puts Colo in strong contention for an NCAA Preliminary berth and was a seven-second improvement over his previous PR.

“This steeple progression for Chris is indicative of how hard Chris has worked this entire year, beginning with cross country,” head coach Mike Esposito said. “A motivated Chris Colo is tough to beat and he’s laser focused on making it to Jacksonville. I’m extremely proud of his effort.”

In addition to Colo’s excellent race, junior Benji Szalai finished third in a time of 9:08.07 while freshman James Quattlebaum topped his PR by five seconds with a fourth-place finish (9:19.07). Senior John Yankello finished 11th in 9:54.57.

Junior Will Narramore continued his strong efforts of late with a third-place showing in the triple jump. The Nashville native posted a mark of 14.34m (47-0.75) to earn the solid finish.

Fellow Music City product Jim Wilson missed his HPU school record in the shot put by just .02m during a solid showing in Durham. Wilson finished fourth with a season-best mark of 14.43m (47-4.25).

In mid-distance action, junior Paul O’Donoghue finished 22nd in a strong field in the 800m run (1:52.89) while freshman Keegan Hanks was 43rd (2:00.50). Sophomore Nick Williams placed 44th with a time of 2:03.21.

HPU will now prepare to host the 2015 Big South Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The event will take place May 14-16 inside Vert Stadium. Tickets for the event are $5 per day.

Men’s track completes day one at Duke
• Freshman James House finished third in the 100m dash with an outdoor PR of 10.56 seconds
• Sophomore Vinny Todaro eclipsed his 1500m PR by almost three seconds while finishing fifth (3:47.10)
• HPU wraps up the Duke Twilight event on Thursday in Durham

DURHAM, N.C. – Freshman James House and sophomore Vinny Todaro each posted top-5 finishes to lead the High Point University men’s track & field team on day one of competition Wednesday at the Duke Twilight event.

House returned to action for HPU and qualified for the finals of the 100m dash with a preliminary time of 10.70 seconds. He improved on that showing to finish third in the final with a mark of 10.56 seconds. House’s preliminary time initially stood as an outdoor PR before the freshman eclipsed the mark with another PR in the final. Also in the race, freshman decathlete Matt Hollis set a PR as well with a time of 11.91 seconds.

On the distance circuit, Todaro continued his spectacular running of late with a new PR of 3:47.10 in the 1500m run. The time placed the Newville, Pa., native in fifth and ahead of strong competitors from Duke, NC State, North Carolina and Furman. The time eclipsed Todaro’s previous PR by close to three seconds and stands as a top-75 mark in the NCAA East Region this season.

Also in the 1500m run, junior Paddy Grandinali finished 22nd in a time of 3:55.88 while freshman Ryan Udvadia was 32nd in 4:01.51. Sophomore Chernet Sisay placed 34th in 4:04.01 and junior Cody Seymour finished 39th (4:10.33).

In throws action, junior Jim Wilson finished seventh in the discus throw. The Nashville, Tenn., product posted a mark of 44.87m (147-2).