The Middlebury men's track and field team recorded a program record in the 4x100-meter relay and two event triumphs while competing at the UMass Commonwealth Invitational. The meet featured schools from all three NCAA divisions and other institutions.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• The second running event of the day was the 3,000-meter steeplechase. The Panthers swept the top-three spots as Owen Johnson led the field to the line with a victorious clocking of 9:18.09. Kieran McBride earned the silver (9:23.46), while Solomon McDow claimed bronze (9:25.47).
• Later in the afternoon, Lachlan Bishop crossed the finish line with a winning time of 1:54.12 in the 800. Jakob Kuelps was third in the event (1:55.18), while Zach Utz secured sixth (1:55.51).
• Joey Caspar was the runner-up in the 400 hurdles, leaning across the line in 52.76 seconds. Other top-10 placings came from Nate Gardner (third - 53.21 seconds) and Parker Loupessis (ninth - 56.15 seconds).
• In the longer-distance events, Benjamin Hughes collected a pair of runner-up showings in the 5,000 (15:03.60) and the 1,500 (3:56.84). Nathan Szubin was sixth in the 5,000 (15:11.09), while Utz was seventh (4:00.30) and Benjamin Prestes secured eighth (4:00.46) in the 1,500.
• During the initial event of the meet, the 4x100 relay quartet of Sebastian Hoiland, Hayden Bobowick, Sebastian Pantzer and Donnell Harvey Jr. blazed to second place with a program-record effort of 41.38 seconds.
• Adam Ferreira participated in the javelin, hurling the instrument to a third-place distance of 55.33 meters in his fifth toss.
• The final timed event of the meet was the 4x400, as the team of Gardner, Kuelps, Jack Ulrich and Bishop recorded the seventh-quickest time of 3:29.33.
• The duo of Tony Wang and Toby Warmack competed in the jumping disciplines. Wang hit the sand seventh in the triple jump (13.48m) and ninth in the long jump (6.48m), while Warmack was eighth in the high jump (1.92m) and ninth in the triple jump (13.08m).
• During the quickest events, a pair of 10th-place efforts were tallied by Finn Albright in the 110 hurdles (15.29 seconds) and Donnell Harvey Jr. in the 100 (10.80 seconds).

NOTES

• The 4x100 time improves on the 41.54 seconds set last spring.
• Johnson's clocking in the 3,000 steeplechase was a personal best by 17.79 seconds, while McDow lowered his time by 2.78 seconds.
• Bishop erased his previous time in the 800 by 0.42 seconds.

The squad returns to competition on Saturday, hosting the Middlebury Invitational and Senior Day, beginning at 11:00 a.m.