Men’s track and field race to first at Little Three Meet
First-year Thad Cwiklinski was named this week’s Centennial Conference Men’s Track Athlete of the Week for his performance in the Little Three Meet.
By Andrew Milone, Staff Writer
The Gettysburg men’s track & field team hosted the Little Three Meet this past Saturday where they showcased a versatile squad and defeated division rivals Dickinson College and Franklin & Marshall College with a team score of 161 points. Gettysburg dominated the field with a first place finish in over half of the nineteen events including a sweep of the relays.
First-year Thad Cwiklinski and junior Nate Wojick led the Orange & Blue to top finishes in multiple relays and individual races. Cwiklinski has been named a Centennial Conference Track Athlete of the Week for his performance.
The Bullets were fueled by a big first place finish in the 4×800 meter relay, which included Cwiklinski, Wojick, first-year Alex Petrecca, and first-year Matt Robinson. They crossed the line at 8:07.67, a new meet record, foreshadowing big results to come later in the meet.
Senior Jackson Davis won the always entertaining 3000 meter steeplechase in 10:01.74 by crossing the finish line only five seconds before the second finisher. The sprinting crew of senior captain Bryan Procopio, junior David Trombetta, sophomore Ryan Thompson, and junior Collin Bergey won the 4×200 meter in a time of 44.09 seconds.
“For the men’s team, the only goal was to win the meet for the first time in eight years, especially after we narrowly lost last year. We knew we had a good chance beforehand, but I think we were still surprised by how well the team did overall,” said Trombetta.
Cwiklinski won an exciting 400 meter dash in 51.36 seconds and Bergey won an electric 200 meter dash in 23.17 both adding more points to the board for Gettysburg along with their earlier relay wins. Cwiklinski, Procopio, Wojick also had a role in the 4×400 meter relay along with first-year Justin Scott.
“I think the team sweeping all three relays really swung the meet in our favor. Starting the meet off with a meet record in the 4×800 was a great start and we continued that momentum with victories in the 4×100 and 4×400 relays,” said first-year Petrecca, a member of the 4×800 first place crew.
It was also a big day in the field as senior Steve Avino took home first in the high jump at 5-6 and Ryan Thompson beat out all the division competitors to capture the long jump crown at 18-7 3/4. Senior Andre Hinds added to his career highlight reel with a victory in the discus with a heave of 154-10, and sophomore Thomas Clark sealed the day with a bang in the pole vault finishing first at 12-6.
Cross Country standout Ben Taber also finished third in the 5000 meter run along with a second place finish by Wojick in the 800 meter race.
It was overall a successful day all around for the Orange & Blue men as they look to be very competitive this season in the Centennial Conference. There are still big names to look forward to including seniors Travis Andrews and David Kaiser.
Look for the Gettysburg men’s track & field team to continue making huge strides, jumps, and throws when they compete in the Messiah Multi Meet this Friday, April 8.
