Ruginski wins D3 Long Jump National Title
USM senior Jamie Ruginski won the division three outdoor track & field long jump title on Thursday as he lept a personal best 24-6 1/4 for the win. Heading into the meet the senior from Buxton, Maine was seeded fourth. After the his three preliminary jumps, he qualified for the finals with the fourth best effort.
After struggling to get on the board during the preliminaries, on his first jump in the final with a strong tailwind (4 metes per second) at his back, the senior made it it count with a personal best 7.47m (24-6 1/4) vaulting him into the lead. The mark also broke his USM school record of 24-2 1/2 set a week prior at the ECAC Championship.
It was a lead that the field wouldn't be able to match, and Ruginski who is the defending outdoor triple jump national champion added his first long jump title, and 4th overall D3 individual title (2x indoor triple, & 1x outdoor triple jump) to his already impressive resume.
Friday, Jamie will go for another national title in the triple jump where he is the top seed.
Also competing on Thursday was USM senior 400m hurdler Peyton Dostie who entered the meet as the #2 seed, The senior from Buxton running in heat 1 finished 3rd, but ended up with the 4th fastest time overall in the three heats. Her qualifying time was 61.45, just off her best of 60.99. She will run in the final on Saturday.
The USM men's 4x400m team of Zach Miller, Jeremy Collins, Dan Webb & Kevin Desmond finished 6th in section 1 & 11th overall with a time of 3:16.40, they didn't advance to the final.
NYU senior John Lake (Falmouth, ME) finished 9th in his section of the 3k Steeplechase and 18th overall with a time of 9:34.12.
In the women's 4x100 Wheaton College placed finished 5th in section 1 with Amanda Peterson (Gray New Gloucester) running a leg. Wheaton placed 13th in 48.63 and didn't advance to the final.