Return to Pointer View home page May 21, 2004

Men's track and field wins first IC4A championship

By Spc. Todd Merriett
Army Athletic Relations

Senior Jeff Weaver won the triple jump and was third in the long jump. Photos by Spc. Eric S. Bartelt/PV

NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Behind first-place finishes from senior Jeff Weaver and sophomore Philip Sakala Army won its first IC4A Championship at Yale University’s Outdoor Track and Field Complex Saturday. The Black Knights concluded the three-day meet with 50 points to nip Rutgers (48.75 points) and George Mason (48) for the team title.

Sophomore Phil Sakala won the 1,500 title at IC4As Sunday with a time of 3:47.51.

Army built a solid lead with four top-three showings Sunday, led by Weaver and Sakala. Weaver, who took third in the long jump Saturday, won the triple jump with a leap of 51 feet, 9 1/4 inches. That mark is the second best of the season for the senior and is the fourth time this year he has surpassed the 50-foot plateau.

Weaver was named the Army Athletic Association’s “Athlete of the Week” for his efforts.

Sakala also won an individual crown, claiming the 1,500-meter run title. The sophomore edged Yale’s Josh Yelsey by .05 seconds for the victory, completing the race in 3 minutes, 47.51 seconds.

Seniors Adam Burke (javelin) and Trevor Hopper (400-meter hurdles) also registered top performances for the Black Knights. Burke notched his third-best distance of the season (227-9) in the javelin to place second.

Hopper claimed third in the 400 hurdles, crossing the line in a season-best 52.12. That time was just .08 slower than his personal best he set at the IC4A Championships as a freshman. However, the time does qualify the Keller, Texas, native for the NCAA Regionals in Gainesville, Fla., in two weeks.

Army’s final competitor of the day was Hopper in the 400 hurdles. By the time he finished, the Black Knights had built a sizeable lead, but four events still remained to be contested. Needing some help, the Black Knights got it from Rutgers and Georgetown. The Scarlet Knights, who finished just 1.25 points behind Army, needed at least a sixth-place finish in the high jump to edge out Army for the championship, but Anthony Butler could only finish in a tie for seventh. The Hoyas, who finished fourth with 43 points, entered the final two relays needing 16 points to tie the Black Knights, but only mustered nine points behind fourth- and fifth-place finishes.

“Winning the championship was exciting,” said Army head coach Jerry Quiller. “We built a good lead, but we didn’t think it would hold up due to the level of competition here. Luckily it did.”

Army’s next competition will be at the NCAA Regionals in Gainesville, Fla., May 28-29. The Black Knights will be sending a few athletes that have reached the qualifying marks to compete at the University of Florida.