ANGOLA, Ind.-- The Trine men's track and field team will be seeking a conference championship in the inaugural MIAA Indoor Track and Field Championship this Saturday.
Entering the championship meet, the Thunder boast four performances that lead all MIAA efforts in their respective events this year. Combined with the efforts of several other top competitors, Trine is poised to challenge for the first indoor title in the conference's history. This is the first season the MIAA has officially sponsored indoor track and field as a varsity sport.
Sam Gilly (St. Joseph, Ill./St. Joseph-Ogden) headlines a strong core of throwers. The senior leads the conference and is ranked eighth in the nation in the weight throw. Gilly looks poised to not only content for the first in the MIAA, but continue to solidify a potential trip to the NCAA Division III National Championships.
Courtney Mitchell (Fort Wayne, Ind./Bishop Leurs) boasts the conference's top performance in the shot put this year. Mitchell's last performance in the shot put saw the senior set a new personal-record in the Defiance College Invitational two weeks ago.
On the track, Jacob Leopold (Ottawa, Ohio/Ottawa-Glandorf) leads Thunder contenders with top time in the 800-meter run. The school-record holder will be joined by freshman Nicholas Zak (Saint John, Ind./Hanover Central), who is ranked fourth in the event. Zak also ranks among the conference leaders in the Mile run.
The 4-x-400-relay team, made up of Leopold, Jasper Bassett (Auburn Ind./DeKalb), Zach Markley (Winamac, Ind./Winamac) and Gregory Littlejohn (LaPorte, Ind./LaPorte), also leads the conference this year. Trine has won the last three conference outdoor championships in the event and will be looking to carry that success onto the indoor track.
Patrick Richardville (Leo, Ind./Leo), Markley and Calvin Sander (Jasper, Ind./Northeast Dubois) give the Thunder three of the top four 200-meter times in the confence this year. Markley and Bassett also figure to be key performers in the 400-meter run as they are seeded in the top three entering Saturday's championship.
Will Collins (Marion, Ind./Marion) returns to the track with Trine's top performance in the 60-meter dash this year. Richardville and Collins combine to give the team a pair of contenders in the event.
The Thunder will feature a young roster, with more than two-thirds of individuals entered in the meet being underclassmen. The team projects underclassmen to account for its top performances in at least seven events and to contribute to point totals elsewhere.
The MIAA Indoor Track and Field Championships will be held Saturday, Feb. 27 in Keith E. Busse/Steel Dymanics Athletic Recreation Center. Field events will begin at 9:30 a.m., with track events set to begin at noon. CLICK HERE for complete schedule of events.