(Spring Arbor, MI) - The Men's track & field team returned from Easter break to warmer weather, and it resulted in some strong performances at the Bill Bippes Cougar Classic hosted by Spring Arbor. The Cardinals came away with 4 NCCAA qualifiers, 7 personal bests, 1 event win, and 9 collegiate debuts.
Jacob Ramirez (Freshman; Irvine, CA) led the way by winning the Triple Jump with a jump of 12.78 meters. The jump by Ramirez earned him an NCCAA qualifying mark and a new personal record as well.
The Cardinals had two athletes make their collegiate debut in an event and earn an NCCAA qualifying mark at the same time. Elijah Boye (Sophomore; Westland, MI) made his debut in the 400 hurdles and finished with the second-best time in program history with a time of 1:00. Franklin Swanson (Freshman; Canton, MI) made his debut in the 100-meter dash and earned a qualifying time by finishing in 7.09 seconds.
Noah Starkey (Senior; Macomb, MI) ran to an NCCAA qualifying mark in the 200 with a time of 22.60. Nikao Williams (Freshman; New Haven, MI) and Jamai Grinter (Freshman) both made their collegiate debuts in the 200. Williams led the way by finishing in 23.96, followed by Grinter in 24.98.
Starkey, Grinter, and Williams also made their 100 collegiate debuts as well. Starkey once again led the way in 11.37 seconds, followed by Williams in 11.42 and Grinter in 12.20 seconds.
In distance events, Dominic Catallo (Freshman; Westland, MI) made his 1500 debut and finished in a time of 4:35. While Jared Stiver (Senior; Tecumseh, MI) and Dylan Ladmirault (Sophomore; Port Huron, MI) each earned a new personal best in the 800. Stiver led the way finishing in a time of 2:24, followed by Ladmirault in 2:30.
Jesse Lietzow (Freshman; St. Clair Shores, MI) and Gerard Noel (Canton, MI) each earned two personal records on the day. Lietzow had a personal record in Shot Put with a throw of 13.96 meters and one in Hammer with a throw of 37.60 meters. Noel had personal records in both events too. He threw 30.34 meters in Hammer and 10.74 meters in Shot Put.
The team will be back in action on Friday, April 12, and Saturday, April 13 for the Tiffin Track Carnival hosted by Tiffin University.
