Posted: Apr 23, 2022
SAN ANTONIO, Texas - With 10 events in the books, Texas Lutheran University and Trinity University find themselves in a flat-footed tie after Day One of the 2022 SCAC Men's Track and Field Championship. Official Website | Results | Photo Gallery
Four SCAC records were broken on Saturday, with new standards set in the hammer throw, long jump, 800 meters and 4x100 relay.
COMPLETE STANDINGS
T1. Texas Lutheran - 104
T1. Trinity - 104
3. Colorado College - 58
4. Southwestern - 19
5. St. Thomas - 14
6. Centenary - 10
7. Schreiner - 1
8. Dallas - 0
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Colorado College jumped out to a quick start to the 2022 championship meet, taking the top two places in the first event of the day, the 10,000 meters. Sophomore Devlin Swanson became the fourth straight CC Tiger to take top honors in the event, crossing the line in a winning time of 33:22.55 (watch post race interview). His teammate, senior Ben Gellman, followed in 34:18.95. Junior Noah Dennis of Southwestern finished strong to take the last all-SCAC slot and third place with a time of 34:23.19.
- Trinity sophomore Diego Flores (watch post race interview) took top honors in the 3,000 meter steeplechase, splashing to a 9:50.28 finish and just ahead of last year's winner, junior Max Saliman of Colorado College, who placed second in a time of 9:51.64. CC senior Andrew West rounded out the top three, crossing the line in 9:56.86.
- In the first field event of the day, Trinity's Tanner Lacy (watch post event interview) won his third straight pole vault title, clearing 4.45 meters (14' 7 1/4") to take top honors. The senior is just the third man, joining Andrew Schipper of Rose-Hulman (2000, 01, 03) and Cody Taylor of Southwestern (2013-15) to win the event three times in a career. Senior Logan Henning of Colorado College also cleared 4.45 meters but with more fouls to earn second place. TLU senior Troy Stephenson finished third after clearing 4.30 meters (14' 1 1/4").
- In the men's hammer, TLU senior Zachary Herman (watch post event interview) shattered the SCAC record with a toss of 53.18 meters (174' 6"), besting the old mark of 168' 5" which had been held by former Bulldog Alejandro Briseno. It is the second consecutive year Herman has won the event and the sixth straight year a TLU man has walked away with gold in the hammer. Teammate sophomore Scottie Reyes finished second with a heave of 48.66 meters (159' 8") and Trinity senior Robert Slaybaugh was third with a throw of 46.81 meters (153' 7").
- Trinity senior Sean Majors (watch post event interview) broke his own conference championship long jump record with a leap of 7.34 meters (24' 1"), besting his previous mark of 23' 11" from the 2021 meet. It was his third straight win in the event, making him just the third man to win the event three or more times. Kris Garrett of Centre won the event four times from 1993 to 1996 and former Trinity tiger Cody Hall won the event in 2016, 17 and 18. Majors' teammate, sophomore Casey Hampton, was second with a jump of 7.21 meters (23' 8"), and junior Caimen McDonough of Texas Lutheran was third with a distance of 7.15 meters (23' 5 1/2").
- TLU sophomore Scottie Reyes (watch post event interview), after taking silver in the hammer, earned gold and defended his title in the shot put with a toss of 15.93 meters (52' 3 1/4"), the second-longest throw in SCAC championship history. His teammate, senior Zachary Herman, after taking gold in the hammer, finished second in the shot with a distance of 14.46 meters (47' 5 1/4"). Senior Robert Slaybaugh took his second bronze of the day, tossing the shot 14.29 meters (46' 10 3/4") to take third place.
- The afternoon session opened with the conference's speed on full display. The Trinity 4x100 team of sophomore Legend Grigsby, first-year BJ Stewart, first-year Brian Rainey, along with Sean Majors (watch post race interview) sprinted to a blistering 41.18, breaking the league's former mark of 41.24 which was set by Texas Lutheran in 2017. The time is also the sixth-fastest run in Division III this year. Texas Lutheran's quartet finished second with a time of 41.34, which is good for the third-fastest all time at the conference meet and seventh-fastest in the nation this season, while Southwestern placed third in a time of 42.31.
- The fastest 800 meter run in conference took place following the 4x100 as the top three finishers each broke the existing conference record in the race. Centenary College freshman DeVante' Jack (watch post race interview) held off the defending champion, senior Josh Fry of Colorado College, to take gold with a finishing time of 1:52.37. The individual title is the first-ever for the Centenary men's track program. Fry took silver in a time of 1:52.82 and Trinity's Will Salony took bronze, crossing the line in 1:53.20. All three marks bested the former conference championship meet mark of 1:53.50, which was set by Trinity's Zach Brush in 2011.
- Trinity sophomore Justin Johnson (watch post race interview) earned the individual title in the 400 meter hurdles, breaking the tape in a winning time of 55.16. Junior Caimen McDonald of TLU picked up his second all-SCAC honor of the day, coming in second in a time of 55.65, while Trinity junior Kyle Anderson was third in 56.13.
- First-year Elijah Jefferson of Texas Lutheran (watch post race interview) posted the fourth-fastest 200 meter time in SCAC championship history and took gold medal honors with a 21.61 finish. Teammate and junior Ezrael Powell, the defending champion in the event, was second in 21.64 (the fifth-fastest 200 in conference meet history). Trinity's Sean Majors finished third, earning his third medal of the day, with a time of 21.69.
UP NEXT
- Competition resumes tomorrow with the men's 5000-meter final at 8:00 a.m., followed by the women's event at 8:30 a.m. A complete schedule of events can be found here.
