Simply put, there are benefits to participating at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational hosted by Boston University that the Laurentian Voyageurs indoor track & field team cannot find almost any place else.

While some of the unique aspects of this ultra-popular meet (one of the largest in North America with over 500 universities from across the United States and Canada attending) can prove challenging, the four member L.U. contingent navigated the hurdles well.

Sudbury native Brandon Radey (second year nursing) established a new school record in the 400 metre race, clocking in at 51.17 seconds while fifth year veteran Keon Wallingford continues to return to form, posting a time of 4:20.95 in the mile - the second best all-time for a Voyageur athlete.

Taking advantage of a very fast field, Kristen Mrozewski (Lo-Ellen Park) lowered her personal best time in the 1000m to 2:56.37, leaving her currently ranked 18th in the OUA (Ontario University Athletics) this year.

Competing in the same event, teammate Sarah Booth shaved another three seconds off her PB, edging closer to the three-minute barrier by crossing the finish line in 3:01.65.

"It's well known that the indoor track at Boston University is one of the fastest in North America and our crew definitely took advantage of that this weekend", noted Vees head coach Darren Jermyn.

"Due to the size of the meet, the sections are quite large and as a result, you need to be aggressive from the gun and get into that uncomfortable zone a bit earlier. Both Kristen and Sarah did an excellent job establishing their position and raced well in the later stages to earn new personal bests."

"Brandon was a bit more conservative on his first lap but stormed home in the final 50 metres to break the school record in the 400m. Keon ran well despite coming off illness that limited his training over the past two weeks. We know he can run much faster, but he still emptied the tank this weekend."

The complete Laurentian squad are off to Toronto this weekend, site of the Hal Brown Memorial Track Meet, providing one last opportunity to attain OUA standards or improve their seedings with the OUA Championships set for February 23rd and 24th in Windsor.