Consider it a Valentine's Day Massacre, as school records are breaking like the hearts of the inevitable holiday losers. This week, senior Jeff Zodda led the way at the Boston University's Valentine's Invitational, breaking the College's record for the men's 800-meter, which Zodda set himself last season.
Zodda spoke about his record-breaking feats briefly after the meet, talking about how they're major accomplishments for him, not just small asides. "The great thing about college, was I was able to capture (a lot of records) in my first couple years, so whenever I go out there and set a personal best, that is obviously the new school record," Zodda said.
Zodda is on a torrid pace this season, having qualified for the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) and broken a school record in four out of the six invitational meets this season. Zodda acknowledged his second- and third-place finishes in the outdoor and indoor respectively, but he said that he "won't stop 'til (he's) the champion."
Two other school records were shattered, one by junior Angela Tecco in the women's 500-meter with a time of 1:17.55. The other was by sophomore Marquis Mitchell, who improved upon his own school record of 14 feet in the triple jump with a mark of 14.16.
The Lions also tallied a pair of NCAA Division III automatic qualifying performances over the weekend, thanks in part to Zodda and Tecco's sterling efforts.
Aside from setting the College's new men's 800-meter record, Zodda placed ninth in the race, finishing with a time of 1:51.32 among top competition from the universities of Miami and Connecticut. Tecco, on the other hand, finished 10th in the women's 500-meter and was a part of the Lions' 4x400 relay team that nabbed the NCAA Division III qualification along with sophomore Jessica Bonelli, senior Brittny Boyd and sophomore Carolyn Gray.
Zodda and the rest of the track team will continue its bid for the gold Sunday at the NJAC Championships at the 168th Street Armory in New York.
