Will Yochum (Goleta, CA; Amherst) cruised to a cool 4:08 in the mile to secure the national record. onal record

Jeffs Set National Record in Distance Medley Relay

Tommy Moore '11 helped Amherst set a national record in the DMR. (Photo by Taylor Perkins '11)

BOSTON, MA – The Amherst College men’s indoor track and field team set a national record in the distance medley relay Friday evening at Boston University’s Valentine Invitational to highlight an outstanding weekend for the Lord Jeffs.

Steve Corsello ’11 (Skaneateles, NY), Tommy Moore ’11 (Marlborough, MA), Ben Scheetz ’12 (Lancaster, PA) and Will Yochum ’11 (Goleta, CA) completed the distance medley in 9:49.11 to obliterate the previous Division III record of 9:53.16, which was set by a group from MIT back in 2002 at the Valentine’s Day Classic. Amherst’s time was more than two seconds ahead of the runner-up on Friday, as Southern Connecticut State placed second with a 9:51.51.

Highlighting the medley was Scheetz in the 800-meter split. The junior had run a 1:52.28 earlier this season to win the 800 against Division I competition at the Boston Indoor Games, but he blew that out of the water by coming in under 1:50 on Friday. Corsello got things going in the 1,200-meter leg, followed by Moore in the 400. After Scheetz dominated the 800, Yochum cruised to a cool 4:08 in the mile to secure the national record.

The distance medley has been Amherst’s bread and butter these past few years. After placing seventh in the event at the 2009 NCAA Indoor Championships, the Lord Jeffs finished fifth a year ago, with Corsello, Moore and Scheetz making up three-fourths of the medley. With Yochum on board, this year’s group will be among the favorites to take home a national title in March.

On Saturday Scheetz wrapped up his weekend by placing second among 160 runners in the 400-meter dash as the event’s top collegiate performer. Scheetz finished in 47.47 seconds, which was second only to Lalonde Gordon, who was running for Zenith Velocity.

Corsello completed the mile run in 4:07.48, which was good enough for 16th place in the field of 199, while Yochum was 14th in the 5k (14:38.26). Amherst’s 4x400 relay, which consisted of Andre Gary ’11 (Exeter, NH), Matt Melton ’14 (Wall, NJ), Andrew Reed ’12 (Riverside, CT) and Scheetz, completed the race in 3:17.64 to earn seventh place. Rounding out Amherst’s top performers was Chris Eaton ’11 (Brooklyn, NY), who took seventh in the weight throw with a toss of 17.10 meters.

The Lord Jeffs will return to action Friday, Feb. 18, when they head to Springfield College for the Division III New England Championships.

Courtesy Amherst