At A&M, Colwick ups vault again
The Texas A&M Invitational held last Saturday in College Station, Texas, was simply another day at the office for junior Jason Colwick. The pole vaulter set a Rice record for the third consecutive week, vaulting high above the competition to the tune of 5.61 meters, besting last week's mark of 5.60 meters. He was named the Conference USA Male Athlete of the Week for the third straight week, and he topped the meet record for the pole vault for the third straight time as well, this time setting a Gilliam Stadium record. Colwick has also moved up in the national and world rankings, as his vault Saturday was the third best in the nation, 14th in the world and still tops in the NCAA. Colwick's first-place finish contributed 10 points to the Owls' total of 47, which was good enough for fifth place out of 18 teams.
Head coach Jon Warren (Jones '88) said Colwick may be breaking new ground on more than one front. Warren is unsure if any athlete has ever been named C-USA Male Athlete Of the Week three weeks in a row.
"It's pretty impressive what he's doing," Warren said.
But the other members of themen's track team were not exactly slouches on Saturday. Senior Simon Bucknell flew past the opposition in the mile, winning in 4:11.68, his fastest time this year. Scott Zivick also scored points for Rice by placing seventh with a time of 4:21.07. Fellow cross country runners, seniors Aaron Robson and Brett Olson, finished fifth and ninth, respectively, in the 3,000, while senior Justin Maxwell started the Owls off, with a win in the 5,000 on Friday. Maxwell broke 15 minutes for first time in his career with a time of 14:59.98.
Warren said he was especially happy with Maxwell's performance.
"That was his second 5,000 win this season," Warren said. "As good as that was, I think he's ready to run, and can run faster."
Turning to the field events, sophomore Ugo Nduaguba could also be joining Colwick at the NCAA Indoor Championships in two weeks, as his 15.53-meter jump in the triple jump was good for fourth place and met an NCAA provisional qualifying mark. Both freshman Will Meyers and sophomore Clay Baker turned out strong performances, as Meyers finished seventh in the shot put with a personal best of 16.75 meters, while Baker finished seventh in the weight throw with a toss of 16.48 meters.
Back on the track, newcomers to the track program continued to shine for the Owls. Freshman Collin Shurbet ran the 400 in 49.49 seconds, and freshman Clayton Chaney finished the 60-meter hurdles in 8.32 seconds to take second in his heat. Freshman Dan Sloat improved the personal best he set at the Frank Sevigne Invitational last weekend, finishing 14th overall in the 800 with a time of 1:54.24, currently fifth best in C-USA.
Members of the football team, largely new to the track squad, also contributed in the short distance events. Freshman Sam McGuffie, who transferred to Rice at the semester break from the University of Michigan, made his debut in a Rice uniform by running a team-best 7.01 seconds in the 60 meter dash, which is currently the eighth-best time in C-USA this season. Junior John Welch followed with a time of 7.04 seconds in the same event. Junior Chris Douglas also finished with a time of 23.30 seconds in the 200.
Warren talked about McGuffie's debut in the 60 meter dash.
"It was the first 60 meters of his life," Warren said.
The Owls will have a week off before the C-USA Indoor Champinoships on Feb. 27-28 at the University of Houston's Yeoman Fieldhouse. Rice will hope to improve quickly enough to challenge the Cougars for the title.
"Everybody I know is picking Houston to run away with the meet," he said. "I know we can be in the top three, and definitely have a chance at winning."
In case you were wondering, Saturday will not be the last of Colwick's visits to College Station this season. The junior will be competing in the NCAA Indoor Championships in two weeks, hoping to bring home a title that will surely make everyone at the office proud.
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