Guarino wins, Thomas breaks record
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Track & Field
NORTHAMPTON, Mass. -- One champ was crowned and a school record was broken Saturday during the ECAC Division III indoor track and field championship meet at Smith College.
Fredonia State junior Nick Guarino (Bergen/Byron-Bergen) was first in the men's 800 meters with a time of 1:53.08, a new personal-best. It improved on his previous NCAA provisional qualifying time from earlier this winter. Guarino was ranked sixth in the nation in the 800 and first in the mile heading into the weekend, the final one before nationals next Friday and Saturday at DePauw University in Greecastle, Ind.
He also extended Fredonia State's streak of winning at least one ECAC indoor title to four straight years. Julia Hopson, a 2009 graduate and eventual nation champ, won the women's 20-pound weight throw at each of the last three ECAC meets.
Guarino's teammate, David "Mac" McMahill (Hemlock/Livonia) finished 17th in the 800 with a time of 2:06.76.
In other ECAC men's events Saturday, junior Webster Thomas (Windsor, Conn.) set a new school record in the men's 55-meter dash with a fourth-place time of 6.44 seconds, an NCAA provisonal qualifying mark. Thomas broke a 20-year-old record of 6.47 seconds held by Bret Johantgen since March 1990.
Also, sophomore Eddie Novara (Angola/Lake Shore) was 13th in the mile with a time of 4:26.87.
On the women's side, junior jumper Jackie Majka (Cheektowaga/Depew) competed in her second and third events of the meet. She tied for sixth in the high jump (1.58 meters) and was seventh in the long jump (5.28 meters). On Friday, she was seventh in the triple jump.