BOSTON, Mass. – Junior Mike Olson (Sutton, Mass.) showed off his speed in the 800-meters to break the program record in the event as members of the Plymouth State University men's indoor track & field team competed at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational at Boston University on Saturday in the BU Track and Tennis Center.
 
Olson went into the meet seeded 151st in the 800-meter run but busted his way through the field running a time of 1:55.16. He destroyed his own record, set last year, by three seconds, finishing 84th overall among 226 competitors.
 
The non-scoring meet featured top collegiate athletes representing all three NCAA divisions from throughout the country, as well as several amateur athletes from the US and Canada competing for various track clubs or running unattached.
 
The Basics:

• David Hemery Valentine Invitational – No Team Scoring

How it Happened:

• Senior Terrell Lewis (New Boston, N.H.) and sophomore Ian Griffiths (Bedford, Mass.) represented the Panthers in the long jump with leaps of 5.86 meters and 4.76 meters, respectively.
• Junior Owen Billin (Meredith, N.H.) sparked a day of season bests by jumping 13.16 meters in the triple jump to place 19th.
• A pair of sophomores, Jyaire Hatcher (Uniondale, N.Y.) and Ryan Moyer (Dover, N.H.), ran season bests in the 400-meters, with Hatcher posting a time of 52.16 seconds and Moyer not far behind in 52.66 seconds.
• Juniors Luke Gomes (Litchfield, N.H.) and Brent Coope (Wolfeboro, N.H.) competed in the same heat of the 1000-meter run. Gomes crossed the line in 2:36.31, while Coope finished in 2:39.93 to set new season bests.
• Junior Michael Barrett (Hartford, Conn.) also raced the 1000-meters to make his season debut in the event. He won his heat with a time of 2:42.11.
• Olson and junior Colin Moar (Annandale, Va.) ended the day on a high note in the 800-meters. Olson not only beat his best by three seconds, but also his own program record to place 84th in a field of 226. Moar placed 183rd in a season best time of 2:00.55.

 
Up Next:

• The full squad looks ahead to the Little East Conference Championship meet next Saturday (Feb. 19) at the University of Southern Maine.