ALLENDALE, MICH. -- Senior Nick Zak (Saint John, Ind./Hanover Central) improved his own school record in the mile run to help lead the Trine University men's track & field team at the Grand Valley State University Open in Allendale, Mich.
As a team, the Thunder scored 17 points to place 10th out of 17 teams as the lone non-scholarship school in the field. Host school GVSU posted a team total of 149 points to capture the trophy and was followed by Bethel (Ind.) College in second place with 127.5 points. Hillsdale (Mich.) College rounded out the top three teams with 46 points.
Zak bettered his previous all-time mark in the mile run by a full second with a time of 4:17.51 at the GVSU Open and placed fourth overall in a field of 43 runners. He set his previous school record during the 2016 season. Also competing in the event with Zak was sophomore Neil O'Brien (Whiteland, Ind./Roncalli) who placed 15th in a time of 4:27.45.
Senior Jasper Bassett (Auburn, Ind./DeKalb) had a top-five finish in the 400-meter dash after running a time of 50.62 seconds to place fifth overall.
In the 5000-meter run, the duo of sophomore Jack Beakas (Auburn, Ind./DeKalb) and junior Vilis Vuskalns (Indianapolis, Ind./Beech Grove) finished back-to-back in seventh and eighth place with Beakas posting a time of 15:21.28 to place seventh and Vuskalns clipped the tape in a time of 15:22.44 to take eighth.
Senior Jonathan Phillips (Royal Center, Ind./Pioneer) placed seventh in the 3000-meter run after a time of 8:40.52 among a field that consisted of 65 athletes.
In the field events, senior Nick Gerber (Goshen, Ind./Goshen) recorded the top overall finish for the Thunder of sixth place in the weight throw. A total of 28 competitors made the field in the event with Gerber recording a best toss of 53' 9.00".
Fellow senior Eric Townsend (Greenwood, Ind./Roncalli) finished in the top-15 in the long jump and was 13th overall after a leap of 20' 4.50".
Trine will next compete in the Hillsdale (Mich.) College Wide-Track Classic next Friday-Saturday, Feb. 1-2 in Hillsdale, Mich. The first events each day are scheduled to begin at noon.