By Adam Riglian

Continuing his undefeated streak in the shot put and winning the weight throw for good measure, senior captain Derek Anderson led the Huskies to a fourth place finish in Friday’s Reebok Boston Indoor Games at the Reggie Lewis Center. While the Huskies were outdone by three squads, including winner Southern Connecticut State, they did finish above rivals Boston College and University of Massachusetts.

The Huskies scored 74.5 points in the meet, 32 of them coming from two throwing events.

“We’re going to look for them to carry the team for the rest of the year,” coach Sherman Hart said. Anderson and freshman Nate Hunter finished first and second in the shot put, respectively, with Anderson also winning the weight throw.

“I am glad to be able to win both events at multiple meets, however, I feel I have a lot of improvement to make in the shot put this season,” Anderson said.

Sophomores Ed Reardon and Bamidele Faboyede made some noise in the weight throw as well, combining for four points while showing the team’s depth.

“Ed and Bamidele are both going to be valuable assets to the throws for the men’s team,” Anderson said. “They are both hardworking individuals who will probably turn a few heads as the season progresses. It’s good to have these two around because it adds not only to our team score, but also to the competitive nature within our team.”

Among the highlights of the day was from junior Christian Tirella, who scored 11 points in the meet. He won the 400-meter in dramatic fashion, overtaking New Hampshire’s Travis Parker and Albany’s Stephen Evans with just a few meters to go. Parker and Evans played foil to Tirella in past years, but were overmatched by his late burst on Friday. Tirella, who also finished eighth in the 200-meter, qualified for the ECAC/IC4A championship in the 400-meter.

“Christian Tirella had a great meet, a major step in the right direction,” Hart said.

Junior Jose Fernandez also ran his best race of the season, finishing fifth in the 800-meter. Sophomores Mark Michelman and Jack Sherman both scored in the 55-meter hurdles, and Sherman added more points in the high jump.

Aside from the throwing team, the Husky pole vaulters have been consistently generating points, scoring 10.5 in this meet with a second place performance from junior Aaron Hill, and a sixth place tie from freshman Daniel Anderson.

During the meet, some Huskies were nagged by minor injuries. Sophomore Quinn Soto entered the triple jump despite a heavy bandage over his quadriceps, while sophomore Dan Ensel pulled up at the first turn of the 400-meter, grabbing his lower leg in pain. Coach Hart assured that all the injuries are minor, and said he looks forward to next week when his team will be fully healthy.

Next week will mark the return of top sprinters junior Obaro Emenike, who missed time due to his father’s death, and senior Bismark Osei, who was a top sprinter last year but has been injured all season.

“The pieces are starting to come together,” Hart said.