ANGOLA, IND. -- The Trine University men's indoor track and field team captured its second Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association indoor title this afternoon at the Keith E. Busse/Steel Dynamics Athletic and Recreation Center in Angola, Ind.
The Thunder captured the first MIAA indoor championship after indoor track was re-instated as a conference-sponsored sport in 2016. Trine finished with 159.5 team points to claim this year's title and was followed by Calvin (Mich.) College with 145 points. Hope (Mich.) College rounded out the top three with 83.5 points.
Individually, Trine had multiple event champions in sophomore Josh Davis (Sterling Heights, Mich./Sterling Heights) in the 60-meter dash, junior Derek Miller (Shipshewana, Ind./Westview) in the 3000-meter run and freshman Jake Gladieux (Oregon, Ohio/Whitmer) in the 60-meter hurdles. Davis was one of four runners to advance to the finals of the 60m dash, but posted the top overall mark among the field at 6.92 seconds which was just one one-hundredth of a second shy of the Trine indoor record. Miller posted a mark of 8:40.49 to claim the 3000m run title which was just 39 one-hundredths of a second off of the Trine indoor all-time mark. Gladieux continued to have an impressive year as a hurdler highlighted so far with his first MIAA individual championship with a school-record time of 8.26 seconds to win the 60-meter hurdles.
In addition to Davis in the 60m dash, junior Camden Doyle (Walkerton, Ind./John Glenn), sophomore Ben Williams (Farmington Hills, Mich./Harrison) and senior Jacob Root (Vicksburg, Mich./Vicksburg) all placed in the top-five. Doyle had the third fastest time (7.04 seconds), while Williams was fourth (7.07 seconds) and Root was fifth (7.10 seconds).
Gladieux also competed in the 200-meter on the track and finished as the runner-up after running a time of 22.64 seconds. Williams, Davis and Root joined Gladieux in the top-five with Williams placing third (22.68 seconds), Davis was fourth (22.73 seconds) and Root was fifth (22.80 seconds).
In the 400-meter dash, freshman Kyran Pearson (Elkhart, Ind./Elkhart Central) had a top-five effort of 50.82 seconds which was the fourth quickest mark. The Thunder also had a top-five finisher in the mile run in junior Levi Neuzerling (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville) who was third in a time of 4:25.83.
Senior Villis Vuskalns (Indianapolis, Ind./Beech Grove) joined Miller as a top finisher in the 3000m run by placing fifth overall in a time of 8:47.50. He also went on to compete in the 5000-meter run and was the runner-up after running a time of 14:47.01 which bettered his own school indoor record in the event by 26 one-hundredths of a second. His previous record of 14:47.27 came Grand Valley State (Mich.) University Big Meet on Valentine's Day. Also in the 5000m, junior Jack Beakas (Auburn, Ind./DeKalb) finished a spot back of Vuskalns in third place in a time of 14:52.18.
Finally, Trine had a runner-up effort in the 4x400-meter relay. The quartet of Root, Pearson, Gladieux and Davis recorded a combined time of 3:26.11.
In the field events, the top finish of the day was turned in by junior Alex Sliter (Bryan, Ohio/Fairview) who was second in the pole vault by judges decision after clearing the bar at a height of 13' 11.25."
Trine had a pair of student-athletes finish in the top-five in the long jump in Williams and Gladieux. Williams was third at a distance of 22' 11.25" and Gladieux was fourth in a leap of 22' 9.75."
In the shot put, junior Nicolas Kane (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles East) posted a best mark of 47' 3.75" to place fourth.
Rounding out the top finishes was senior Mitchell Martin (Bowling Green, Ohio) who was third in the weight throw after recording a toss of 52' 4.75."
Next on the schedule is the two-day Wartburg (Iowa) Last Chance Meet before the NCAA Division Indoor Championships. The Last Chance Meet is set for Friday-Saturday, Mar. 6-7 in Waverly, Iowa. Start time is TBA.
