By Colin Fields
Contributing Writer
The men’s track team finished third in the team standings at the Patriot League Championships this past weekend in Annapolis, Md. Chris Sacks ’14 became the first first-year student in Bison history to win two events in his first championships, also claiming Rookie of the Meet honors. Andrew Powell ’12 also took first place in the heptathlon on Saturday, his second heptathlon victory of the year. Robert Arent ’12 also broke the school record in the 60-meter hurdles.
The Bison went into the final day in second, trailing Navy by seven and leading Army by 14. The Orange and Blue were the best of the non-academy schools, finishing with 151 points. The Bison finished well ahead of fourth-place finisher Lehigh, who totaled up a mere 46.5 points.
Sacks was victorious in the 4×800 relay with teammates Christopher Boyd ’11, Jordan Donaldson ’12 and Clayton Smith ’11. The team’s time of 7:34.15 was good enough for a close victory over Colgate. The time also set a record for the Wesley A. Brown Fieldhouse.
Sacks’ second victory was not as close. The first-year student blew away the competition in the 1,000 meter run by a full two seconds. Sacks’ performance this past weekend helped him pick up First Team All-Patriot League honors.
“Going into the championships, I was nervous because Patriot Leagues is the most important part of the season. However, at the same time I was confident due to a great deal of preparation that went into getting ready for the meet,” Sacks said.
Powell also had a big weekend for the Bison. Powell won the high jump, long jump and 60-meter hurdles on his way to heptathalon gold. His total of 4,967 points was enough for second place in the Bison record books. Powell picked up his third win in the heptathlon and his second win this season for the Bison.
“I am really looking forward to the championship meet as it really brings the team together. Instead of everyone chasing individual marks like during the season, the one goal everyone can unite under this weekend is to beat the other teams. I’m also hoping to break the school record in the hurdles,” Arent said.
Arent did not disappoint in the 60-meter hurdles. He joined teammate Marlon Woods ’11 in the finals of the event and ran 8.13 seconds in the prelims, which was just one-hundreth of a second shy of the school record. The next day Arent had a breakout performance and smashed his previous record by five hundredths with a time of 8.07, a new school record. Arent joined Sacks and five other teammates on the First Team All-Patriot League squad.
The Bison will be competing in the IC4A Championships in Boston, Mass. on March 5 and 6.