Center Valley, PA (April 6, 2024) - On a cold and windy morning, the DeSales University men's outdoor track & field team hosted a tri-meet with Moravian University and Muhlenberg College.
Beginning in the shot put, junior
Jacob Schaffer took second place overall with a personal best throw of 13.46m. The trio of
Giovanni Welington (fifth overall –
11.59m),
Nick Chinn (sixth overall –
11.00m), and
Christopher Landau (seventh overall –
10.91m) also set season bests.
Moving to the track, six total Bulldogs placed in the top eight of the 3000-meter race. Senior
Shane Artis led the way with a time of
9:06.47 (first overall). First-year
Joey Wilson finished second in his event debut with a time of
9:09.56.
Graduate student
Matt Santacoloma took third with a time of
9:10.73. Senior
Nick Manidis took fourth place with a time of
9:14.93. Graduate student
Tom Greve took fifth in a time of
9:17.17. Senior
Dean Ricco rounded out the scorers with a
9:34.00 to take sixth place. All athletes notched a spot on the all-time top ten list in the event.
Back over in the field for the hammer throw, sophomore
Jonathan Eudja placed third overall with a throw of
45.72m. Wellington came back to set a personal best with a throw of
40.19m (sixth overall).
In the long jump, senior
Xavier Phoenix finished second overall with a jump of
6.85m, moving up to be nationally ranked 29th in the event. First-year
Weston Simak then placed third with a jump of 6
.61m. There were several other Bulldogs who placed in the event, including first-years
Lens Demosthene (fifth place –
5.81m),
Nicholas Wolff (sixth place –
5.70m, PR), and
Javell McMichael (seventh place –
5.51m), as well as sophomore
Peter Skulski (eighth place –
5.28m).
Over in the 4x100 meter relay, the DeSales A-team, consisting of first-year
Colin Marsh and seniors
Logan Berner,
Kyle Dunbar, and
Vajon Wilson, took second place with a time of
43.15. The B-team of first-year
Bryce Guthier, sophomores
Braeden DeGrazia and
Tyler McCulloch, and Phoenix took third overall with a time of
44.87.
In the 1500-meter, graduate student
Carl Tyce took first overall with a time of
4:08.57 to qualify for the Middle Atlantic Conference Championship in the event. Senior
Tim Connell also placed fourth overall with a time of
4:24.89. Both athletes qualified for the Middle Atlantic Conference championship with their efforts.
For the 400-meter, Marsh came back to place second overall with a time of
52.00.
In the 110-meter hurdles, junior
Sam Estherson made his debut, taking first overall with a time of
15.21. He is currently ranked 58
th in the nation, has the third fastest time in school history, and qualified him for the MAC Championship and the AARTFC Regional Championship.
Shifting to the 100-meter dash, Berner returned to take second place overall with a time of
11.06. McCulloch also returned to place fifth with a time of
11.49. DeGrazia came back to set a personal best with a time of
11.97 (ninth overall). McMichael made his debut in the event with a time of
12.34 (11
th overall), while Wolff also set a personal best in a time of
12.90.
Onto the 800-meter, first-year
Jozef Callano took second overall with a time of
2:02.62. Junior
Josh Deremer took fourth with a time of
2:03.92. Senior
Ben Phillippy placed sixth overall with a time of
2:04.75.
Back over to the field in the high jump, sophomore
Brian Whitney placed second overall with a jump of
1.78m.
In the pole vault, sophomore
Vincenzo Taormina placed first overall with a mark of
3.05m.
Back to the track, Guthier returned for the 400-meter hurdles to place second overall with a personal best time of
59.73. He qualified for the MAC Championship with his effort.
In the discus throw, Schaeffer set another personal best with a throw of
39.97m to take second place. Landau (sixth place –
34.35m, PR), Chinn (seventh place –
33.23m), and Wellington (eighth place –
32.22m) also placed again.
For the triple jump, Phoenix returned to take first place overall with a jump of
13.98m to become ranked 19
th in the nation. He also qualified for the MAC Championship and the AARTFC Regional Championship with his jump. Simak also placed third with a jump of
13.16m. Demosthene placed fourth with
12.02m. Skulski finished sixth with a mark of
11.16m.
In the 200-meter, Dunbar took first place with a personal best time of
21.93. He is now ranked 54
th in the nation in the event, and qualified for the AARTFC Regional Championship. V. Wilson then placed third in the event with a time of 22.94. McCulloch placed fourth in the event with a season best time of
23.23. DeGrazia placed eighth with a time of
24.62.
Finally, in the 4x400-meter relay, the DeSales A-team, consisting of Phoenix, Deremer, Tyce, and Callano, took first place with a time of
3:31.46. The B-team of Artis, Ricco, junior
Cody Smith, and first-year
Andrew Sidorski placed third with a time of
3:47.32.
After today's events, the Bulldogs have 29 athletes qualified for the conference championship at Widener University in the first week of May.
The Bulldogs will return to action next weekend, with the throwers competing at the Moravian University Invitational and the runners competing at the Widener University Invitational.
