BOSTON, MA – A dominating distance performance and strong showings across relays and field events propelled the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's track & field team to an impactful day at the Middlebury New England Small College Invitational today at The TRACK at New Balance. The Engineers posted numerous top-eight finishes across all event areas, including two individual event wins and a commanding relay victory.
The Engineers showcased elite depth in the distance events this afternoon. In the mile run, RPI went 3–4–5–7–8, led by
Evan Lacey in third place (4:10.03) and
Jack Czarnecki just 0.11 seconds behind in fourth.
Danny Gall (5th, 4:12.72),
Jack Loughery (7th, 4:14.27), and
Colin Goldschmidt (8th, 4:17.46) rounded out the scoring sweep.
RPI also dominated the 3000 meters, placing five runners in the top eight.
Samuel Gunther paced the Engineers with a 4th-place time of 8:38.15, closely followed by
Evan Morrow (5th, 8:38.32),
Nathaniel McKee (6th, 8:39.27),
Thomas Manson (7th, 8:40.99), and Nicholas McAuley (8th, 8:43.45).
The Engineers' distance surge continued in the 5000 meters, where
Gwilym Horner ran 14:57.03 for second place, just ahead of teammates
Justin Cascio (3rd, 14:59.06) and
Joey Smith (4th, 15:05.65).
Dominic Pena delivered a victory in the 800 meters, winning the event in 1:54.27. Pena also anchored RPI's 4x400 meter relay, teaming with
Alexander Flynn,
Jack Catelotti, and
Rafael Steiner to place fifth (3:26.12). The Engineers also brought home the 4x800 meter relay title, as Gall, Loughery, Lacey, and Czarnecki combined for a winning time of 7:54.42.
Alexander Flynn had a standout effort today, placing third in the 200 meters (22.17) and third in the 400 meters (49.08).
Ronen Stewart was just behind in the 200, running 22.20 for fourth place.
RPI dominated the pole vault, going 1–2 in a high-caliber field.
Moss Dengler cleared 4.75 meters to win the event, while
Shawn Keenan followed at 4.60 meters for second place, giving the Engineers a clean sweep at the top.
In the high jump,
Connor Cruz led the way with a second-place finish at 1.97 meters, while
Calvin Chang cleared 1.82 meters for seventh.
Oliver Herrick contributed in both jumps, placing sixth in the long jump (6.32m) and seventh in the triple jump (13.31m).
Tristan Mangin and
Paul Sussman placed seventh (13.47m) and eighth (13.36m), respectively, in the shot put. Sussman also took seventh in the weight throw (14.68m).
The Engineers next compete at the Utica Blue and Orange Invite on Saturday afternoon in the Hutton Sports Dome.
