NEW ORLEANS-- The Trine men's track and field team is ranked seventh in the Great Lakes Region in the latest regional rankings released by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
The Thunder received a score totaling 144.93 points in the poll. The rankings are determined by computer and are based on cumulative results from this season. Trine currently has two performances that would be good enough to qualify for the National Championships if the season ended today. Tyler Bourdo (Plainwell, Mich./Delton-Kellogg) is sixth in the nation in the 400-meter dash, while the 4-x-100 relay team is 11th. The relay team is made up of Bourdo, Patrick Richardville (Leo, Ind./Leo), John Daniel (Fort Wayne, Ind./Carroll) and John Harris-Scott (Wesley Chapel, Fla./Wiregrass Ranch).
Click Here for USTFCCCA Regional Rankings.
Bourdo has won the last two MIAA Men's Track Athlete of the Week honors. His latest performance in the 400-meter dash came in at 47.92 seconds to earn his spot in the national rankings. Bourdo is a two-time All-American in the event outdoors and has also won All-America honors for his performance in the indoor event twice.
The 4-x-100 relay team's time of 41.76 seconds was run this past weekend at Grand Valley State University's Al Owens Open. The quartet of runners placed fourth in the event.
Richardville won MIAA Men's Track Athlete of the Week after finishing fourth in the 100-meter dash at the Vanderbilt University Black and Gold Meet. The freshman has the top time in the conference in the event this season and is 25th in the nation.
Dakota Bagwell (Kokomo, Ind./Western) appears in the national rankings with the 27th-best hammer throw in the nation thus far. The senior's top throw of 174 feet, 11 inches came this past weekend at GVSU. Bagwell has been a contender in throwing events at MIAA Field Day his entire career and will be in the running for a top performance once again.
Daniel's top pole vault performance of the season is ranked 28th. The junior vaulted 15 feet, 3 inches at the MIAA Jamboree two weeks ago.
The 4-x-400-relay team rounds out Trine's performances among the top 50 in the nation. Bourdo, Luke Fimreite (McCordsville, Ind./Mount Vernon), Jacob Leopold (Ottawa, Ohio/Ottawa-Glandorf) and Christian Hill (Granger, Ind./Penn) ran the 42nd-best time in the nation at the Al Owens Open. The Thunder will be looking for another gold in the event at MIAA Field Day.
Trine will compete in the Hillsdale Gina Relays this Friday and Saturday, April 24-25 at Hillsdale College. The event will be the final tune-up for the Thunder before MIAA Field Day, the conference's championship event.