NEW LONDON, CT. – Marking 80 points to top a field of 47 collegiate institutions, the Wesleyan' men's track and field team took first place at the New England Division III Outdoor Championships for the first time in program history, breaking three school records in the process as they walked away with 17 Top 10 finishes at the United States Coast Guard Academy.
Saturday afternoon marked the third time the Cardinals finished in the Top 10 team rankings at the New England Division III Championships, but the first time at the head of the table. The Cardinals placed 10
th in 2019 but previously tied for sixth at the 1993-94 indoor championship.
Leaving New London with two broken records and a first-place finish,
Steve Paul '28 opened the weekend with a Friday night record break in the 100m dash. Breaking a 13-year record previously held by LaDarius Drew '15, Paul ran a 10.60 in the preliminary heats of the event, besting Drew's previous record of 10.69. On Saturday morning, Paul finished as the runner-up, clocking a final 10.68. Paul followed his performance in the 200m, breaking his own outdoor record with a first-place final of 21.24, beating the previously set 21.56 set on April 19.
The record breaking was not finished.
Ethan Singleton '28 cracked his own week-old record in the men's 400m, as he crossed the line in second place with a 47.83. At the NESCAC Championships on April 26, Singleton completed a 48.37.
A second Cardinal victory was the result of the 5000m distance race.
Noah Mahoney '27, a national contender in the cross country circuit, placed first with a final clocked time of 15:11.26 for the Cardinals. Mahoney's runner-up was teammate
Will Wise '26, finishing 23 seconds behind at a 15:34.17.
Making up half of the Top 10 contenders in the 1500m, the Cardinals dominated with a pack led by
Rob D'Aquila '26. D'Aquila placed fourth (3:57.19),
Liam Calhoun '26 took fifth (3:57.32),
Bruce Lenes '26 was seventh (3:59.75),
Alex Kermath '26 finished eighth (4:00.04), and
Zach Allen '27 rounded out the club in ninth (4:00.59).
Fourth and fifth place in the 800m went to
George Lepska '25 and
Nate Fogarty '25. Lepska earned fourth place, kicking up a 1:52.51 while Fogarty was on his heels in fifth with a 1:53.90. The final of the individual track events went to
Philip Keith's '25 sixth-place final in the 10,000m, clocking in a solid 32:37.89.
Fielding a relay team for the 4x800, Fogarty, D'Aquila, Lepska, and
Ben Taffet '26 combined forces for a fourth-place finish and a time of 7:50.92.
The field events were headlined by Javier Orelanna's '25 performance at shot put. Throwing for 15.33m, Orellana placed third.
Eli Liedtka's '27 discus throw of 44.22m earned him a finish at eight.
The Cardinals look ahead to the Open New England Championships on Friday, May 9, and Saturday, May 10.
