For the first time since February 2020, the Liberty League Indoor Track & Field Championships are back. Ithaca College hosts the 2022 edition of the championships on Friday, February 25 and Saturday, February 26 at Glazer Arena housed in Ithaca's Athletics & Events Center. The Bombers welcome fellow league members Bard College, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), St. Lawrence University, University of Rochester and Union College to campus.

The meet begins on Friday at 11:30am with the first event of the men's heptathlon kicking things off (60-meter dash). At noon, the shot put is scheduled to begin and track events are scheduled for a 2pm. start with the Women's Mile. On Saturday, the championships continue at 11am with the final event scheduled for 3:20pm (4x400-meter relay), followed by an awards presentation.
 
Heading into the championship, Ithaca is eyeing a fourth straight title. The Bombers are one of two league teams featured in the latest United States Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCA) Division III rankings, checking in at No. 19 and RPI at No. 20.  
 
In 2020, Ithaca trailed by 10 points heading into the second day of the championship, where the team rallied to win by 38.5 points, totaling 192 points over the two days. RPI finished as the runner-up with 153.5 points and Rochester (132) rounded out the top-three teams.
 
The Bombers will be led this meet by a quartet of athletes who are ranked among the top-15 performers in Dom Mikula, Jalen Leonard-Osbourne, Andy Frank and Luke Tobia. Mikula, the 2019 and 2020 Liberty League Indoor Field Performer of the Year, is fourth nationally in the pole vault with a leap of 5.01 meters. Leonard-Osbourne broke his own school and facility record in the 60-meter dash this season, crossing the finish line in 6.78 seconds in early February, which is good for third in Division III. Frank, the defending Liberty League champion in the 200-meter dash, is ranked 10th nationally with a time of 21.91 seconds. Tobia, who won the weight throw at the 2020 championship (17.83 meters) is 15th nationally with a throw of 17.81 meters. Both of Ithaca's relay squads are also nationally ranked.
 
RPI will be seeking its first title since the 2016-17 season. The Engineers should have a strong showing in the distance events with three athletes ranked nationally—two in the mile (Matt Lecky, John Reed), two in the 3,000 meters (Lecky, Reed) and two in the 5,000 meters (Reed, Vince Simonetti). Lecky, who was 10th in the 3,000 at the 2020 conference championship (8:53.14), was recognized as the Liberty League Runner of the Year for men's cross country this fall. For indoor track, he is currently ranked third in Division III in the mile and fourth in the 3,000 with times of 4:09.12 and 8:16.18, respectively. Reed is 22nd in the 3,000 with a time of 8:21.94. Simonetti will run in the 5,000, where he is 37th in the nation with a time of 14:51.90. Cory Kennedy is also a top contender in the 5,000 with an entry time of 14:55.72 (44th in Division III).

Luke Lyons will also compete on the track and he was sixth at the 2020 championship in the 400-meter dash (50.98). He is third among league leaders in the event with a time of 50.39 seconds. James Zeolla leads the squad in the field events as he is 24th nationally in the pole vault at 4.70 meters.
 
Rochester looks to improve upon its third-place finish in 2020 as the Yellowjackets. Scott Sikorski is ranked among the top-20 in Division III in both the mile and 800 meters with times of 1:54.21 (13th) and 4:11.41 (18th). Gabe Lundy is set to compete in three events (60-meter dash, 200-meter dash and 400-meter dash) after placing fifth in the 200 in 2020. This year, he is 13th in Division III in the event at 49.38 seconds. Cole Goodman is having a strong rookie campaign and is ranked eighth nationally in the triple jump (14.75 meters). He also has a league-best mark of 6.79 meters in the long jump. A pair of athletes are nationally ranked in the heptathlon at 17th and 19th. They also hold the top scores in the league with 4,613 points (Aeden Angelone) and 4,521 points (Alex Opsahl).
 
RIT is led by a trio of athletes who are ranked in field events. Nicholas John is 11th in the pole vault and second among league leaders at 4.85 meters. Tyler Hulse tops the league in the high jump at 2.04 meters and is ranked 13th nationally. Hulse finished in fourth at the league championship in 2020 (1.96 meters). He will also compete in the 60-meter dash this year with an entry time of 7.33 seconds. Matt Funicelli, who was third in the shot put (15.42 meters) and fifth in the weight throw (16.52 meters) in 2020, will compete in both events this year. He is currently 15th in Division III for the shot put (15.69 meters) and 33rd in the weight throw (17.01 meters). He leads the conference in shot put and is second in the weight throw.
 
Timothy Boyce will be a key runner for St. Lawrence in the track distance events. The freshman will compete in the 800 meters and mile as well as the Saints' 4x400-meter relay. His time of 1:55.17 in the 800 ranks 38th among Division III competition and second in the Liberty League. He is also third among league leaders in the mile at 4:16.79. Connor Lambert will also be an athlete to watch at this year's championship. He is ranked third among those competing in the heptathlon with 4,201 points.