DC Men’s Track and Field Selected to Finish Second in HCAC

GREENWOOD, Ind. – The Purple and Gold men's track and field team received 84 points in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Outdoor Preseason Poll. Defiance earned a second-place finish at last year's outdoor championship meet and the voters gave it the best chance to knock off Rose-Hulman, who has recorded five consecutive HCAC Outdoor Championships. [Release]

The Fightin' Engineers totaled a perfect 100 points in the poll with all 10 first-place votes. DC just edged the Grizzlies of Franklin by one point for second, as they received 83 points. Rounding out the top four was the Manchester Spartans with 71.

Five Yellow Jackets were named HCAC Preseason Athletes-to-Watch. Seniors Tom Postema, Dan Hardin-Wallace and Hayden Krick top the list for the squad.

Postema, a Tinora High product, comes into the season fresh off a third-place weight throw and 12th-place shot put at the National Collegiate Athletic Association Div. III Indoor Championships. Last spring, the senior thrower earned All-HCAC honors and was named the HCAC's Most Outstanding Field Athlete. Postema also set a conference record in the discus throw last spring with a title-earning toss of 54.96 meters. He also grabbed first place in the hammer throw with a distance of 54.68 meters.

In the pole vault, Hardin-Wallace has been the team leader in the event for the past few seasons. It is his second time being nominated to the HCAC Watch List. The fourth-year veteran had a successful indoor season by besting his own school record in the pole vault with a jump of 4.70 meters and earning Second-Team All-HCAC.

In the last of the seniors, Krick records his second time on the Watch List with his first coming in his freshman season. The Antwerp, Ohio, native also earned second-team all-conference with his finish in the 5,000-meter run at the HCAC Indoor Championships.

Two others join the trio of seniors on the HCAC Watch List. Junior Joe Davis was named All-HCAC for the indoor season after his two titles in each of the 3,000 and 5,000-meter runs. The long distance runner also set three new DC records during the campaign.

Sophomore Troy Parrett concludes the track and field members on the Watch List. Last year, Parrett was the All-Ohio and HCAC Champion in the 800-meter run during his freshman outdoor season. This 2013 indoor season, the second-year runner earned a Top-10 NCAA Div. III ranking in the 800 and was the All-Ohio and conference champion in the event.   

The Defiance track and field team will travel down to Cincinnati, Ohio for its first meet of the outdoor season. The squad will be competing in the Mount St. Joseph Invitational on Friday, March 22. Action will kick off at 4 p.m.