By Adam Riglian

There was no team scoring at this week’s George Mason Invitational, as the newly found basketball powerhouse’s home was squeamish about how well their track team would fare against Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) rivals Virginia Commonwealth University and Northeastern.

“Coaches in the conference are talking about how we are one of the teams to beat,” coach Sherman Hart said.

The Huskies won four individual events and one relay, having the most success in field events. Had the meet been scored by team, the Huskies would have won the meet by a narrow margin, with Virginia Commonwealth coming in second.

Senior Derek Anderson was responsible for three of the team’s victories, taking home first place honors in the shot put, discus and hammer throw. Anderson has high hopes that he will dominate the CAA Outdoor Championships in all throwing events.

“I’m trying to win three, if lady luck is on my side I will win the javelin, too,” Anderson said.

Anderson again broke his own records in the discus and shot put. His discus throw of 191 feet, 10 inches broke the record he set two weeks ago in Miami by over five feet. The old shot put record, which he set in this year’s indoor season of 62 feet, 6.5 inches, is now furthered by just under a foot, with the new mark standing at 63 feet, 4.25 inches.

Junior Aaron Hill contributed the Huskies’ other win in the pole vault, despite missing a week’s worth of practices with a leg injury.

“Aaron Hill was on crutches a week ago, and he came out and won,” Hart said.

The 4×400-meter relay team came together to narrowly edge out Howard University. The team is led by junior captain Christian Tirella and junior Conrad Dalton.

“I was happy that the 4×400 really came together,” Hart said.

Northeastern received many of its points in field events, with freshman Nate Hunter and sophomores Jack Sherman and Bamidele Faboyede contributing. Sophomore Jonathan Watkins also continued to perform at his best, scoring in the 100- and 200-meter dashes and putting in solid splits as a member of the 4×400 team.

As this season rolls along, Hart will be adding new athletes to the team’s lineup. The sprinting events will see the return of senior Bismark Osei – also a cornerback on the football team, while Chris Williams will be triple jumping in the near future.

“We are trying to get Chris Williams healthy and he will be a player in the conference soon,” Hart said.

The bulk of the team will run at the University of Connecticut Invitational next week, while throwers Derek Anderson and Nate Hunter will enter the highly competitive Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays in Austin. Five of www.trackshark.com‘s top 10 shot putters will be at the meet, including top-ranked Garret Johnson of Florida State. The relays take place on April 7 and April 8, while the UConn Invitational will be on April 8.