Men's track and field place first at Toledo Collegiate Challenge


The Central Michigan men’s track and field team continues to roll.

After posting 17 Top-5 finishes and winning four events last weekend, the Chippewas put together one of their best meets of the year, finishing first out of nine teams over the weekend at the Toledo Collegiate Challenge in Toledo, Ohio. CMU won the meet with 250 points, 85 points more than second-place Buffalo.

The men had posted a dominant performance, securing 23 Top-3 finishers.

“This weekend gave us a lot of confidence moving forward — we had a lot of solid marks," said director of track and field Willie Randolph. “At the same time, we know we have bigger challenges ahead."

Junior jumper Kevin Bacon led the way with two first-place finishes in the long jump and the triple jump.

CMU went one and two in both the Javelin throw and the 100 meter dash. Nick Rainy and Tim Reynolds were the Chippewa winners in the javelin, while Ross Parsons and Greg Knaus continued their outdoor season success in the 100-meter.

Other first place finishes for the Chippewas included junior Ryan McCullough in the hammer throw, sophomore Alex Rose in the discus and freshman Keith Zech in the 800-meter run.

The 4x400m relay team of David Ashcraft, Clay Norman, Christopher Thomas and Parsons also finished first.

The Chippewas finished two through five in the shot put, led by senior George Flanner, and finished second and third in the pole vault with Adam Lohner taking second and Joseph Jankowski taking third.

Other runner up finishes for the Chippewas included Jacob McDonald in the high jump, Ashcraft in the 400m, Clay Noeker in the 110 meter hurdles and Parker Scott in the 400 meter hurdles.

“I think doing well against some of our conference rivals will give us a mental edge,” Randolph said “It’s not just about placing, it’s about getting some personal bests, which we had a lot of this weekend.”

The majority of the team will have next weekend off while a select group of Chippewas will travel to Sacramento, Calif., for the Mid-Major Challenge beginning Thursday.

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