GAVIN COLLEY

BY KEVIN WOODRUFF

Wyoming County Press Examiner

Tunkhannock Area graduate Gavin Colley, a sophomore on the Widener University track and field team, won a Mid Atlantic Conference title in the 60 meters on Feb. 23.

Colley, 20, of Tunkhannock, raced to a 6.99 second finish in the event to take his first title after finishing second in the event last year.

He edged out Alvernia’s Ricky Bruno who finished second at 7.03, despite taking second in the preliminaries with a 7.05 finish.

“Last year I took second place with the same exact time,” Colley said. “But everything came together this year.”

Colley credited Bruno as a tough competitor, but said he got a solid start and ended up keeping the lead.

“Everybody in that field had a great start,” Colley said. “But I got out with them and beat them down the stretch.”

His win, along with other top performances from teammates helped the Widener team capture its fourth straight MAC title.

He also took sixth overall in the 200 meter with a time of 23.08 and was a part of the school’s 4×200 relay team that took second behind Alvernia.

Colley went on to compete in the ECAC Championship last weekend with hopes of earning a berth to the NCAA Division III Indoor National Championships.

Colley said that the top 15 in the nation get chosen to compete at nationals, and that he would have to shave about a tenth of a second off his time to get an invite.

“I’m ranked sixth going into the ECAC,” Colley said. “I think I have a pretty good chance at getting into the final.”

However, Colley fell short, finishing 16th in the preliminaries at 7.09, failing to qualify for the finals.

After his title victory, Colley said he spent the first two days recovering and healing.

From there, he put in speed work, practicing starts and staying stretched out.

“You just have to stay healthy and stretched out,” Colley said. “And wait for the next race.”

Colley said he believes he hasn’t reached his peak performance yet this season, and hoped it will come in the nick of time for his shot at nationals.

“I’m supposed to be running my best right now,” Colley said.

Regardless of his finish at ECAC’s, Colley will begin to prepare for the outdoor track season, which has its first meet on Mar. 23 at Philadelphia College.

“March is a tough month for us,” Colley said. “We do a lot of training between seasons.”

In the outdoor season, Colley plans to run in the 100 meter, 200 meter, 4×100 relay and possibly the 4×400 relay.

To follow Colley’s progress, visit www.widenerpride.com.