Men’s Track Ends Day One of HCAC Championships in Second

CINCINNATI, Ohio – The Defiance College men's track and field team finished the first day of the HCAC Championships in second place with 39 total points. Rose-Hulman leads the pack with 42.50 points, while Defiance, Manchester and Anderson remain within striking distance. [Results]

As expected, DC's pole vaulters led the charge, capturing three of the top-four spots at the meet. Austin Trivett beat the rest of the field by six inches as he cleared a personal-record 15-00.00 feet. Tyler Anderson and Dan Hardin-Wallace each tied with Franklin's Dean Shepherd for second place at the meet with a clearance of 14-06.00 feet.

Justin Perkins was a major point-getter for the Jackets with his second-place finish in the 3,000 meter steeplechase. The reigning steeplechase champ finished in 10:00.89 to edge out Manchester's Cole Jackson for the number-two spot.

Josh Beaverson came up big for Defiance in the hammer throw with a heave of 146-04.00 feet to take fourth place at the meet. The toss was less than two feet shy of his personal record.

Thavez Jeter earned three points for Defiance with his sixth-place leap of 12.13 meters in the triple jump, and enters tomorrow's high jump tied for fifth place in the conference.

Several DC runners set themselves up for a productive day tomorrow by finishing in one of the top-nine spots, to qualify for tomorrow's finals.   

Ryan Perry qualified for the finals in the 100-meter dash with an eighth-place finish, while Aaron Demecs and Josh Herron claimed third and ninth-place finishes respectively in the 400-meter dash.

Trivett has a chance for a strong day tomorrow after finishing fourth in the 110-meter hurdles to claim a spot in the finals. The junior also enters as the favorite to win the javelin throw.

In the 800-meter run, the duo of Aaron Bronson and Seth Bidlack came in fourth and fifth place respectively. Bronson's time of 1:58.48 represents a personal-best for the freshman runner.

The final day of the HCAC Championships will take place tomorrow, Saturday, May 1, beginning at 10:00 a.m. The awards ceremony is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m.