ALMA, Mich. -- The Trine University men's track and field team return home as Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Outdoor Champions following a strong second day at the event. The team won the title in dominating fashion posting a score of 244 with the nearest competitor coming in at 119.50.
It is the first time that Trine University has won the MIAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship since joining.
Five individual runners came away with wins along with one relay team. Sophomore Jake Gladieux (Oregon, Ohio/Whitmer) accounted for two of those victories on his own, winning the 400m hurdles with a 53.97 and in the 110m hurdles with a time of 15.15.
Two more Thunder would finish with team points in the 400m hurdles including senior Ty Hoover (Monticello, Ind./Twin Lakes) in fifth (1:00.20) and junior Greysen Spohn (Peru, Ind./Peru) in seventh (1:01.45). Spohn would also finish third in the 110m hurdles (15.66).
Sophomore Ben Williams (Farmington Hills, Mich./Harrison) would pick up a win for the team in the 200m dash where he posted a time of 22.58. Sophomore William Thonn (Rochester, Ind./Rochester) would finish in third (22.87) and senior Jacob Root (Vicksburg, Mich./Vicksburg) came in fifth (23.22).
The sprinters would also perform well in the 100m dash. There Thonn came in second (11.03) to lead the team with Williams right behind him in third (11.18). Root would come in fifth with a time of 11.37 and junior Josh Davis (Sterling Heights, Mich./Sterling Heights) came in sixth with a time of 11.42.
Thonn, Davis, Root and Williams would then team up in the 4x100m relay where they would come away with a win for the team with a time of 41.68. In the 4x400m relay the Thunder would finish third with Gladieux, sophomore Connor Kissinger (Garrett, Ind./Garrett), sophomore Kyran Pearson (Elkhart, Ind./Elkhart Central) and freshman Brandt McNeil (Camden, Mich./Camden-Frontier) turning in a time of 3:28.97.
Pearson would also come in third in the 400m dash with a time of 49.91.
The final individual winner for the team was senior Neil O'Brien (Whiteland, Ind./Roncalli) who took the 3000m steeplechase with a time of 9:24.72. Also earning points for the team were sophomore Skyler Schrope (Charlottesville, Ind./Eastern Hancock) who came in fourth (9:49.14) and senior Alexander Amaro (Fort Wayne, Ind./Concrdia Lutheran) who finished in fifth with a time of 10:06.25.
O'Brien would also come in second in the 800m run with a time of 1:58.18. Senior Levi Neuzerling (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville) would also reach the podium in the event finishing third with a time of 1:58.24.
Neurzerling would come in second himself in the 1500m run with a time of 4:01.84. Also earning points for the team was junior Holden Martin (Indianapolis, Ind./Scencina Memorial) who finished in sixth with a time of 4:12.03.
Senior Jack Beakas (Auburn, Ind./DeKalb) finished second in the 5000m run with a time of 15:01.10 while his classmate Noah Acker (Kendallville, Ind./East Noble) finished in fifth with a time of 15:32.96.
In the field, while the team did not win any events they had nine athletes turn-in point-earning performances.
Freshman Nick DeSantis (Shrub Oak, N.Y./Lakeland) came in second in the javelin throw with a toss of 41.86m. Junior Noah McClellan (Schererville, Ind./Lake Central) came in fourth with a throw of 39.49m and junior Alex Layman (Ney, Ohio/Fairview) came in eighth with a 37.52m throw.
Sophomore Travis Dowling (Swayzee, Ind./Oak Hill) finished second in the discus throw with a best of 41.13m. The Thunder would also finish fifth, sixth and seventh in the event with performances from junior Brandan Cross (Union City, Mich./Union City), junior Ben Alston (Adrian, Mich./Adrian) and senior Nicolas Kane (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles East).
McClellan would also finish sixth in the men's triple jump with a 12.62m effort.