HILLSDALE, MICH. -- The Trine University men's outdoor track and field team finished competition at the three-day Gina Relays hosted by Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Mich.
Trine was one of several schools making up the field that included representatives from all NCAA divisions (I, II, III) as well as the NAIA.
On the final day of competition in the field events, the Thunder had four throwers place in the top-10 in the discus, led by sophomore Travis Dowling (Swayzee, Ind./Oak Hill) who placed fifth overall following a throw of 130' 3.00". Junior Ben Alston (Adrian, Mich./Adrian) had the second-best finish of sixth place thanks to a best toss of 130' 1.00". Senior Nicholas Kane (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles East) placed eighth thanks to a throw of 126' 11.00" and junior Brandon Cross (Union City, Mich./Union City) tied for ninth with a throw of 126' 3.00".
Both Kane and Dowling went on to post top finishes in the shot put with Kane finishing fourth overall with a distance of 43' 9.75". Dowling placed two spots back of Kane in sixth place with a best attempt of 42' 2.75".
Junior Noah McClellan (Schererville, Ind./Lake Central) recorded a top-five mark in the triple jump of 40' 8.25" (4th place) and junior Jon-Matthew Spaw (Kendallville, Ind./East Noble) rounded out the top performances by finishing in a tie for seventh in the pole vault at a height of 13' 0.75".
The only running events on the final day were relay races with Trine's best times coming in the 4x800-meter relay led by the group of senior Levi Neuzerling (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville), sophomore Aiden Lapp (South Bend, Ind./Riley), junior Holden Martin (Indianapolis, Ind./Scecina Memorial) and senior Neil O'Brien (Whiteland, Ind./Roncalli) who turned in a combined time of 7:54.60 to place second. The Thunder also had a second team place in the top-five in the event with the team of junior Zach Griffith (Springport, Mich./Olivet), sophomore Noah Ballard (Tipp City, Ohio/Tippecanoe), freshman Bryce Baldwin (Jerome, Mich./Jonesville) and sophomore Skyler Schrope (Charlottesville, Ind./Eastern Hancock) recording a total time of 8:11.52 to place fourth overall.
Trine will set its sights on the MIAA Outdoor Championships that begin on Thursday, May 6 and will be hosted by Alma College in Alma, Mich. The first events on Thursday are scheduled to start at 1 p.m.