ROCHESTER, NY – The Houghton College track & field teams competed at Roberts Wesleyan College on Friday evening. Nearly all of the sprint and field events were cancelled due to a COVID case on the host team. The distance events were allowed to proceed, as their distance and power events practice separately. Thus, Houghton took a limited squad. The weather was rainy and mid 40's, but the Highlanders still managed several event wins and PRs.
 
In the men's open events, the 400m squad of Nathaniel Zedomi, Micah Williams, and Jack Howard took 1^st, 3^rd, and 4^th place, in 51.50, 53.03, and 53.74. Alex Haines won the 800m in 2:07.71, in closely contested race. Houghton also had a strong showing in the 1500m, with Joel Wheeler, Adam McCutcheon, and Caleb Kasper taking 1^st, 2^nd, and 4^th place. The invitational events, which included a time standard to participate took place later in the evening. Houghton had 4 men in the 5,000m, all of whom ran outdoor personal bests. Dillon Bell led the way in 15:47.74, Dylan Beckhorn got his second sub 16 of his career in 15:55.78, Dave Russo ran 16:01.96, and Seth Greene had a massive PR of 16:10.59.
 
The women's open events started with Mary Shaker and Haley DeJager going 3^rd and 4^th in the 400m. Next, Leah O'Connell got the win in the 800m, running 2:36, and Aubrie Cole finished 2^nd. Julia Hotchkiss finished 6^th in the 1500m, running 5:28, with Rachel Domaracki and Emily Strauss also having nice finishes. In the women's invitational events, Edena Sanchez ran an Empire 8 leading 2:21.98. Amanda Burrichter ran the 1500m, and broke the 5:00 barrier for the first time in 4:59.90.
 
Coach Hager commented after the meet, "I thought the team came out and competed well. The conditions weren't ideal for a couple of the early races, but coming out and racing hard will go a long way towards the next few meets. Our invitational athletes all ran very well, with 5 out of the 6 running personal bests. That's what you hope for when an elite field is assembled and you get dragged along a bit. I'm confident in this group as we move forward towards next week!"
 
The track & field teams will compete on 4/23 (men) and 4/24 (women) at St. John Fisher.