The St. Thomas Aquinas track & field team competed at the New Balance Invitational this weekend. Mike Abelard ran his second fastest time of the season with a 22.04 in the finals of the Collegiate Division in the 200m. Keeley Bateman competed in the mile where she ran 5:30.24 a new personal best and new school record for the women.
Abelard's time placed him second out of 59 athletes in this Division. Out of all the 100 competitors in the 200m with teams such as LSU, Texas, and Texas A & M; Abelard finished as the top Division II competitor in this field.
The Team of Frankie Colon, Mike Abelard, George Erazo and Vinny Modafferri ran their second fastest time of the season of 3:22.17, finishing 4th in the 4x400. The group finished behind Division I opponents; Binghamton, Albany, and Columbia in the race. The 4x200 team of Rich Ricca, George Erazo, Frankie Colon and Mike Abelard ran 1:31.94 which was 12th overall in the meet.
Next week the Spartans men's and women's team will compete at the CTC Championships in Middletown, Connecticut at Wesleyan College.