Men’s track and field clinches fourth straight New England Division III championship
The MIT men’s track and field team, ranked No. 7 in the latest United States Track and Field and Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) poll, clinched their fourth straight New England Division III Indoor Championship on Saturday afternoon on their home track inside the Johnson Athletic Center.
One of 30 teams in attendance, MIT totaled 138 points for the win and ranked ahead of Williams College in second (132 points). Tufts University claimed third place (74), Bowdoin College was fourth (55), and Bates College was fifth (51). MIT was the only New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) representative in the top five, as the other four teams came from the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC).
Michael Kaba ’16 won three individual events — the 200-meter dash, the 400-meter dash and the 60-meter hurdles — to pace the Engineers’ efforts, while Arinze Okeke ’17 took the crown in the long jump and the triple jump. Aidan Gilson ’19 ran to a first place finish in the mile run. The 4x400-meter relay team, made up of Kaba, Danny Newman ’17, Derek Barnes ’16, and States Lee ’16, won the event in 3:23.30.
Kaba won the 200m in 22.38 seconds, the 400m in 49.85 seconds and the 60m hurdles in 8.20 seconds, a personal best for the senior. Okeke leapt 22 feet, 11.75 inches (7.00m) in the long jump — a matched personal record — and 46 feet, 9 inches in the triple jump. Gilson crossed the line in the mile in 4:25.20. Behind Kaba in the 200-meter dash, Newman and Livingston Albritten ’18 were separated by 0.002 seconds as the duo ran times of 22.631 and 22.633, respectively, for fourth and fifth place. Newman’s mark is a new personal record for the junior.
In the field events, Okeke led the charge as one of four Engineers in the top five in the triple jump and one of three to place in the long jump. Behind him in the triple was William Ruschel ’18 in second (46 feet, 6 inches, or 14.17m), D. Carrington Motley ’16 in fourth (45 feet, 11.75 inches, or 14.01m), and Ryan Prinster ’18 in fifth (45 feet, 2.5 inches, or 13.78m).
Luke Gray ’18 split his time between the two days competing in the heptathlon. He finished the Saturday portion in fourth place with a personal best score of 4,247 points. Gray set four personal records which included the shot put (11.76m), the high jump (1.65m), the 1000-meter run (2:50.96), and the 60-meter dash (7.68 seconds).
MIT returns to action next weekend as those who qualified for the New England Intercollegiate Amateur Athletic Association (NEICAAA) Indoor Championships will travel to Boston University on Friday, February 26 and Saturday, February 27 for a chance to qualify for the NCAA Division III Championships later in March.