BOSTON, Mass. – Bentley University junior John Drago (Avon, Conn./Avon HS) qualified for next month's New England Intercollegiate Track and Field Championships with a strong showing Saturday during the Boston University Terrier Classic at the BU Track and Tennis Center.
Drago won his heat and placed eighth overall in the unseeded 5000 meters in a field of 64 with a time of 15:01.33.
Two of his classmates achieved new personal bests in the same event. Rob Dextradeur (Branford, Conn./Branford HS) was 13th in 15:06.86, a PR by six-and-a-half seconds, and Craig Robinson (Scarborough, Maine/Scarborough HS) was 29th, his 15:35.54 improving on his previous PR by about nine seconds.
Just missing a New England qualifying performance was junior Bryan Carton (Norwell/Norwell HS) in the 400. He bettered his PR by 0.75 seconds with a time of 50.53 and finished 35th out of 114 participants.
Freshman Anthony Charter (Hubbardston/Quabbin Reg. HS) established a new PR in the long jump, clearing 20 feet, 2.25 inches, and also jumped 42 feet, 7.5 inches in the triple jump, just missing his PR. He placed 17th of 30 in the latter and was 19th of 38 in the long jump.
Among the Bentley athletes who also set new personal bets were senior Andy Gauthier (Dracut/Central Catholic HS) in the 400 (51.63 seconds, down from 52.14) and junior Rob Hennessy (North Andover/ North Andover HS) in the 800 (1.58.11, an improvement of 1.81 seconds).
Senior captain Steven Long (Newton/Newton North HS) placed 31st of 51 in the shot put after uncorking a throw of 42 feet, 6.75 inches.
Next Saturday, Bentley will be in New Hampshire for the Dartmouth Indoor Classic.
