UTICA, N.Y. – The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's indoor track and field team delivered a strong all-around performance at the Utica Fast Trax Invite today.
RPI opened the day with solid efforts in the sprints, as
Francis Grasso placed fifth in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.17 seconds, while
Jack Catelotti followed closely in eighth at 7.22.
The Engineers then surged in the 200 meters, where Alex Flynn captured first place in 22.10 seconds.
Ronen Stewart added a third-place finish in 22.23, Cam Caso placed fifth in 22.27, and Grasso rounded out the top eight with an eighth-place showing in 22.99.
The 400-meter dash continued the momentum for RPI, with
Donovan Myrick earning a runner-up finish in 50.21 seconds and
Caden Caron close behind in third at 50.72.
Walter Withrow placed fifth in 51.18, while
Jace Lewis added a seventh-place effort in 51.91.
The middle-distance and distance events proved to be a major strength for the Engineers once again. In the mile,
Alton Francisco led RPI with a second-place finish in 4:24.28, followed by
Tyler Sinkins in fourth at 4:26.77 and
Tevin McLaren in fifth at 4:26.89. Nicholas McAuley placed sixth in 4:27.82, and
Michael Harkins finished seventh in 4:28.43, giving RPI five runners inside the top seven.
Joey Smith claimed first place in the 3,000 meters, crossing the line in 8:34.17, while
Gwilym Horner secured second in 8:41.22 and
Anthony Zarrella added a fourth-place finish in 8:46.20.
The Engineers continued their dominance in the 5,000 meters, where
Justin Cascio won the event in 14:53.53.
Thomas Manson followed in second at 15:03.06,
Tobin Durham placed third in 15:19.04,
Tyler Husar finished fifth in 15:31.52, and
Murray Copps earned sixth in 15:57.28.
RPI also received standout performances in the hurdles and field events.
Cortez Garrett finished third in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.46, while
Chris Kay placed fifth in 8.73. In the high jump,
Oliver Herrick cleared 1.80 meters to take fifth place, with
Calvin Chang and
Leo Lomangino tying for seventh at 1.75 meters.
The pole vault saw another highlight for the Engineers, as
Moss Dengler captured first place with a clearance of 4.83 meters.
Shawn Keenan followed in second at 4.53 meters, and
Dillen Owusu placed fifth at 4.23 meters.
Ervin Owusu added a fifth-place finish in the long jump with a leap of 6.59 meters, while
Oliver Herrick claimed another victory for RPI by winning the triple jump with a mark of 13.70 meters.
In the throws,
Tristan Mangin placed fourth in the shot put with a throw of 14.40 meters, and
Paul Sussman added a seventh-place finish at 13.71 meters.
The Engineers will take next weekend off before looking ahead to the Liberty League Indoor Championships, which run February 27-March 1 at host RIT.
