DEFIANCE, Ohio – The Defiance College men’ track and field team, picked second in the preseason Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference poll, are set to challenge for the title at the HCAC Championships on Friday and Saturday.

The Yellow Jackets are led by a slew of conference leaders and former conference champions. Junior throw Tom Postema, the HCAC Indoor Field Athlete of the Year, currently sits first in the conference in the discus, hammer throw and shot put. The product of Tinora High is DC outdoor record holder in the discus and is ranked 20th in the national with a throw of 161-03. Postema is also ranked 13th in the shot put at 51-01 and 13th in the hammer throw at 183-09. The junior is the top-ranked athlete in each event in the HCAC.

Joining Postema in the national rankings is freshman Reggie Neal, who is 41st in the triple jump. Neal is ranked first in the HCAC in the triple jump with a mark of 45-08.50 and also holds the second seed in the long jump.

Freshman Troy Parrett is the second seed in the men’s 800-meter dash. Parrett won the All-Ohio Championships earlier in the year with a time of 1:55.13. Junior Joe Davis is seeded fifth in the 800-meter. Davis is ranked third in the 5000-meter run, an event in which he was an All-Ohio honoree, and fourth in the 1500-meter run.

Defiance owns two of the top four seeds in the 3000-meter steeplechase. Senior Justin Perkins, a former HCAC Steeplechase champion, is ranked second in the conference. Senior Aaron Fraley is fourth in the event.

Junior Dan Hardin-Wallace enters the pole vault with the second seed and a mark of 14-05.25. Senior Josh Beaverson is fifth in the hammer throw, and senior Kyle Tietje enters the high jump with the sixth best mark.

Senior Jordan Weber and freshman Clayvon Finch are tied for the fourth spot in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 15.72.

The HCAC Championships will begin at 3:00 pm on Friday, April 27 and continue through Saturday, April 28. The event is hosted by Franklin College in Franklin, Indiana.