PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Junior Shea McLaughlin (Byfield, Mass.) posted a pair of personal records and sophomore Noah Francis (Bethlehem, N.H.) shattered his previous best in the mile run by nearly 15 seconds to lead the Plymouth State University men's indoor track & field team to a second-place finish at the PSU Winter Classic at the Bank of New Hampshire Field House at ALLWell North on Friday afternoon.
 
McLaughlin shaved nearly a quarter-second off his PR in the 60-meter hurdles finals to take second, then added another runner-up finish in the 400 meters with a personal-best improvement of more than two seconds.
 
Francis crushed his previous best in the mile by 13.05 seconds to place second.
 
Freshmen Devin Schlegel-Barber (Milton, Vt.) and Enzo Valenti (Montville, Conn.) delivered impressive debuts to secure PSU's two event wins. Schlegel-Barber topped the field in the 400 meters in 54.32 seconds, while Valenti won the weight throw (14.38 meters) and added a third-place finish in the shot put (12.34 meters).
 
Plymouth State finished second out of four teams in the season-opening meet.
 
 
The Basics:

• PSU Winter Classic – 2nd of 4 Teams
  • Saint Anselm (119), Plymouth State (87), Saint Michael's (34), VTSU Randolph (6)

Meet Highlights:

• McLaughlin set a new personal record of 8.78 seconds to place second in the 60-meter hurdles.
• Francis was runner-up in the mile run with a PR of 4:40.99.
• Pymouth State placed second in the 4x200 meter relay, as Schlegel-Barber and freshmen Cristian Lytle (Merrimack, N.H.) and Griffin Massahos (Londonderry, N.H.), along with junior Nick Sobalo (Pelham, N.H.), combined for a time of 1:38.98.
• Valenti won the weight throw (14.38 meters) and placed third in the shot put (12.34 meters).
• Plymouth State swept the top five times in the 400 meters. Schlegel-Barber won in 54.32, just ahead of McLaughlin, who added another PR with a time of 55.40.
• Senior Joel Newman (Natick, Mass.) cleared 1.75 meters to finish second in the high jump.
• Sophomore Gabe Kean (Thornton, N.H.), Massahos and junior Khalid Vicks (Kingston, Mass.) all reached the 60 meter finals, with Kean finishing third in 7.21 seconds.
• PSU's distance medley relay team of junior Ben Colby (Manchester, N.H.), senior Zach Hodge (Springfield, N.H.), Francis, and junior Connor Phillips (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) combined for a time of 11:18.24 to take second.

 
Up Next:

• After taking time off for final exams and the holiday break, Plymouth State returns to action at the Middlebury Snowflake Invitational on Jan. 10.