College Report

May 16, 2008 - It’s championship time, and the Island’s top collegians are continuing to perform at a high level.

Topping the list is the duo of Saidu Ezike (Port Richmond) and Jesse Carlin (St. Joseph/Sea). The Ivy League seniors added to their impressive resumes at this past weekend’s Heptagonal championship meet at Yale.

Carlin won another major title for the University of Pennsylvania, winning the 800-meter run in 2:05.67, just a few tenths off her best, while Ezike won the 110-meter hurdles for Cornell in 13.96.

Carlin has made the Olympic Trials B standard, and is only a second off the automatic A qualifier. The field will be 30 athletes, and if 30 do not make the A standard, B standard athletes will be moved up. With a month to go, Carlin is in the top 15. Obviously, even a few tenths would help a great deal.

John Carstensen (Msgr. Farrell) continues to perform well in championship competition. At Saturday’s New England championship meet, he finished fourth in the pole vault, clearing 15-3. His former Farrell teammate, Kyle Duggan, tied for ninth at 14-3.25.

No one this year has made a bigger improvement than Jeff Brannigan.

The former Curtis HS runner has now lowered his personal record in the 1,500 meters to 3:56.42 this past weekend at the New Balance Challenge meet.

And Lionel Williams (St. Peter’s) of Penn State turned in another 1:51.+ race over the 800-meter distance at a meet on his home track.

Kim Scotto (MSIT) of Lehigh is now a Patriuot League champion. She ran a leg on the winning 4x800-meter relay that set a Lehigh record. Also in Patriot League action, Sean McAuley (Msgr. Farrell), competing for Lafayette, has been doing well in the throws.

Jeff Carbonella (Msgr. Farrell) of Princeton has run 800 meters in 1:52.94, improving his personal best this spring.