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                         May 24, 2002

Schwabe runs for gold

By James Kramer
Athletic Media Relations Assistant

Clay Schwabe saved one of his best performances of the season for crunch time, earning the top finish in a wild 1500-meter contest at the 2002 IC4A Track and Field Championships. Schwabe was greeted by a stacked field at the starting line, but broke the tape without a challenge at William Weaver Stadium in Princeton, N.J.

The Army senior took command of the 1500 with just over a lap remaining. Despite the strong efforts of Lehigh’s Alex L’Heureux and Navy’s Aaron Lanzell, Schwabe proved to be too much for the opposition on Sunday, coasting across the line in 3 minutes, 47.16 seconds. Breezy conditions slowed the entire race, as Lanzell managed a solid second (3:48.36) and L’Heureux fell to third (3:48.39). Though Schwabe’s foes pulled close at the end, Army never looked to be in danger with its All-American comfortably pushing the pace.

Army shined in the field as well Sunday, with sophomore Rod Manzo finishing in a tie for fifth place in the high jump. Manzo cleared 6 feet, 8 inches, enjoying one of his most productive afternoons of the spring campaign. The Black Knights’ talented tandem of sophomore Adam Burke and freshman Marcus Canty finished their seasons with encouraging marks in the javelin. Burke threw 212’10" for a sixth-place finish, while Canty finished 10th overall, narrowly missing a qualifying mark for finals.

Army wrapped up the three-day event in 16th place out of 50 competing schools. The Black Knights finished one point better than Rutgers and Boston University, and two points ahead of Duke and Villanova. The team title for the 126th running of the IC4A Track and Field Championships went to the Hoyas of Georgetown.

"We were real happy with the way everyone performed today," said Army head coach Jerry Quiller. "We ended the season with some real good marks and our young athletes really shined."