Gents Finish Sixth At SCAC Championships

SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Competing on its home track, Trinity University won the program's 15th SCAC Men's Track and Field Championship and fourth straight by claiming the 2024 title Sunday afternoon at the Trinity University Stadium. Official Website | Day Two Results | Day Two Photos

Trinity University's Justin Johnson was named SCAC Men's Track & Field Athlete of the Meet for the second consecutive year. The senior took first place in both the triple jump and the 400 hurdles, posted a fourth-place finish in the 110 hurdles, a third place finish in the long jump, and was part of the Tigers' winning 4x400 relay team to earn 33.50 points. Sophomore Josh Williams of Colorado College was runner-up in the Athlete of the Meet race, earning 27.50 points with victories in the 200 and 400 meters, a fourth-place finish in the long jump and 2.50 more points as a member of both of CC's fourth-place finishing relay teams.

This weekend's meet produced five record-breaking performances on the men's side, with new records established in the 200 and 400 meters (both by Colorado College's Josh Williams), the pole vault (Texas Lutheran's Ezra Acero) and both relays - with the TLU men establishing a new mark in the 4x100 and the Trinity men in the 4x400.

FINAL STANDINGS

1. Trinity - 272.5
2. Texas Lutheran - 187
3. Colorado College - 169.5
4. Southwestern - 73
5. St. Thomas - 49
6. Centenary - 16
7. Schreiner - 10
8. Dallas - 0

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After finishing as runner-up a year ago, Colorado College senior Devlin Swanson took top honors in Sunday's first race (watch post race interview), the 5000 meters, finishing in a time of 14:57.01, the third-fastest time in SCAC championship meet history. Teammate, fellow senior and two-time winner of the event James Settles finished second in a time of 14:59.64 and CC senior Brett Kitazono completed the Tigers' podium sweep with a third-place finish of 15:02.03. Colorado College, who also had an individual take fourth place in the event, is the first school to sweep the podium places in the 5000 since Trinity accomplished the feat in back-to-back years in 2016 and 2017.
• Junior Matthew Hicks of St. Thomas (watch post event interview), after finishing runner-up in the event the last two years, broke through to earn gold at this year's championships, taking top honors in the high jump with a clearance of 1.97 meters (6' 5 1/2"). First-year Parker Cabra of Texas Lutheran also cleared 1.97 meters (6' 5 1/2"), but had more misses and had to settle for silver. Sophomore Bocar Diagana of Trinity cleared 1.82 meters (5' 11 3/4") to finish in third place.
• In the discus competition, junior Dalon Harris of Texas Lutheran (watch post event interview) took top honors with a toss of 45.05 meters (147' 10"). Trinity sophomore Xadrian Huerta of Trinity was second with a throw of 39.40 meters (129' 3") and senior Weston Geiger of Texas Lutheran was third with a toss of 39.15 meters (128' 5").
• Senior Justin Johnson of Trinity (watch post event interview) returned to the top step of the podium in the triple jump for the second straight year and third time in four years with a leap of 14.42 meters (47' 3 3/4"), the third-longest triple jump in conference meet history. He is just the fourth SCAC man to win the event three times and the first since Chrys Jones of Centre College won the event in 2009, 2019 and 2011. Sophomore Bocar Diagana of Trinity and sophomore Michael Roper of Southwestern finished second and third, respectively, for the second consecutive year. Diagana posted a jump of 14.05 meters (46' 1 1/4") while Roper bounded 13.45 meters (44' 1 1/2"). 
• After two straight third-place finishes in the event, junior Pierce Jackson of Trinity (watch post event interview) earned gold in the javelin, winning this year's title with a toss of 54.29 meters (178' 1"). Senior Weston Geiger of Texas Lutheran, the 2022 winner of the event, finished second with a throw of 52.80 meters (173' 3") and junior Dylan Sullivan of Southwestern placed third with a toss of 51.31 meters (168' 4").
• In the first track event of the afternoon session, junior Azariah Anderson of Trinity (watch post event interview) earned gold in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.90, the first sub 15 second time to be posted at the conference championship meet since 2018. First-year Parker Cabra of Texas Lutheran took second place with a time of 15.11 and sophomore Kris Duggan of Trinity was third in 15.34. 
• Sophomore Josh Williams of Colorado College blazed to the line in the 400 meters (watch post race interview), setting a new SCAC record with a finishing time of 47.48 and knocking almost a half second off the former mark in the process. With the victory, Williams, who was runner-up last year as a freshman, became just the second CC runner to win the event, joining Michael Gorman who earned gold in the 400 in 2021. TLU senior Bryce Powell-Chimene was second with a time of 48.41 and first-year Price Schultea of Trinity placed third in 48.58.
• Trinity junior Azariah Anderson (watch post race interview) picked up his second gold of the day, this time in the 100 meters, earning fastest man on the track honors with a finishing time of 10.77. Texas Lutheran sophomore Weston Guzman, who was third in the event a year ago, placed second with a time of 10.86 and St. Thomas sophomore Kashala Kapyamba was third in 10.92.
• Sophomore Rabbit Barnes of Colorado College (watch post race interview) defended his title in the 1500 meters with a finishing time of 3:54.65 - the second fastest time in SCAC championship meet history. The victory also kept the Tigers' streak of consecutive victories in the event alive as a CC athlete has now earned gold in the event four straight year (Josh Fry picked up wins in 2021 and 2022). Junior Will Salony of Trinity earned his third straight runner-up finish in the 1500, crossing the line this year in a time of 3:55.13. Senior James Settles of Colorado College medaled for the third event of the '24 championships, taking bronze with a time of 3:58.36.
• The Trinity quartet of junior Nic Ladreyt, senior Justin Johnson, first-year Jackson Gallagher, and first-year Price Schultea ended the meet in style for the Tigers, earning the program its fifth straight 4x400 win at the SCAC championships (watch post race interview). The quartet crossed the line in a winning time of 3:14.75 to destroy the former conference championship mark of 3:17.35 and ice Trinity's team win. St. Thomas finished second in 3:17.05 and Texas Lutheran was third in 3:22.90.