The Youngstown State men's track and field team looks to capture its ninth consecutive league title and 10th overall as the 2024 Horizon League Indoor Track and Field Championships are set to begin on Saturday at WATTS in Youngstown.
The two-day conference meet will get underway on Saturday at 9 a.m. with the women's pentathlon. The opening events of the men's heptathlon will follow shortly thereafter at 9:30 a.m. The long jump and pole vault competitions kick-off first-day field events at Noon, with action on the track getting started at 2:30 p.m. with slow sections of the 5,000m run.
Action is set to resume on Sunday at 9 a.m. with the final events of the heptathlon competition. Second-day field events will commence with the high jump competition at 9:15 a.m., leading up to the running events beginning at 1 p.m. with final heats of the women's mile run.
Last February, the Guins clinched their eighth straight league title and ninth overall, scoring 221 points (third-most in school history) and winning by a wide 71-point differential over Oakland.
The Penguins return four event winners from last year's title-winning squad Hunter Christopher (3000m and 5000m), Dominic Perry (shot put), Luke Laubacher (60m hurdles) and Jakari Lomax (triple jump). Lomax is going for a record fifth straight title in the triple jump and looks to join former Penguin Sean Peterson (800m) as the only five-time event winners in conference history.
Other Guins with league titles under their belts include Ryan Meadows (5,000m in 2021), Lomax (long jump in 2021) and Perry (weight throw in 2022). Perry also won the shot put title in 2021.
Event Lineup
60m - Christian Ford, Jalen Ghee, Tye Hunt, Daimere Stephens-Stewart
60m Hurdles - Luke Laubacher, Micah Mitchell
200m - Harry Barton, Christian Ford, William Delbaugh, Jalen Ghee, Luke Laubacher, Nate Lewins, Daimere Stephens-Stewart
400m - Harry Barton, William Delbaugh, Nate Lewins
800m - William Hanchosky, Tobias Jones, Sage Vavro
Mile - Riley Jackson, Sage Vavro
3000m - Hunter Christopher, Ryan Meadows, Tyler Clark, Owen Brady, Blaze Fichter
5000m - Hunter Christopher, Ryan Meadows, Tyler Clark
High Jump - Connor Durig, Lonnie Harper, Nathan Leskovac, Mason Stephens, Zachary Webb
Long Jump - Tye Hunt, Jakari Lomax, Luke Laubacher, Daimere Stephens-Stewart
Triple Jump - Jakari Lomax
Pole Vault - Dorian Chaigneau, Lukas Lang, Blake Sifferlin, Jack Vecellio
Shot Put - Ryan Henry, Coleson Kertesz, Dominic Perry, Ryan Tetrick
Weight Throw - Ryan Henry, Coleson Kertesz, Dominic Perry, Ryan Tetrick
4x400m Relay - Harry Barton, Connor Durig, Nate Lewins, William Delbaugh, William Hanchosky (Alternate)
DMR - Blaze Fichter (1200), William Delbaugh (400), Riley Jackson (800), Owen Brady (1600)
Preview
60m – Newcomer Daimere Stephens-Stewart ranks second in the league with a time of 6.78 seconds to lead the Guins. Tye Hunt is ranked fourth, Christian Ford sits fifth and Jalen Ghee sixth entering the league meet. A YSU athlete has won the 60m nine times since 2012. Ford has finished sixth or better on four occasions. Hunt has placed third and fifth during his career.
200m – Ford and Stephens-Stewart sit first and third via times they ran in December. Harry Barton has a best time of 21.77 seconds and that puts him in fifth. YSU's last win in the 200m was in 2020. Barton was fourth in the event last year.
400m – Barton will be bidding to become just the second Penguin to ever win the event. He ranks second in the conference with a time of 48.36 seconds. Nate Lewins and William Delbaugh both rank in the top five in the league. The only YSU winner of the event was Collin Harden in 2018.
800m – William Hanchosky ran a personal-best time of 1:53.27 last time out to move into second in the league's rankings. Sean Peterson and Kurt Michaelis are the only two Guins to win the title. Peterson was a five-time winner. Hanchosky was seventh last year in the race.
Mile – Hunter Christopher and Sage Vavro lead the HL by a wide margin in the mile. Christopher has a top time of 4:04.08 while Vavro owns a best time of 4:07.86. However, Christopher will only run in the 3000m and 5000m. Sean Peterson won three mile races for the Guins from 2020-22.
3000m – Christopher won the race last year with a time of 8:32.38. This year he has a best time of 7:58.37 to lead the league by around 15 seconds. Ryan Meadows, Tyler Clark, Owen Brady and Blaze Fichter will also be in action on Sunday. Meadows ranks second in the league while Brady is sixth and Clark is ninth. Meadows won the race in 2021 and was second last year.
5000m – Christopher won the race with a time of 14:30.37 last year. He has a best time of 13:47.78 entering Saturday's race. Meadows ranks second at 14:02.99 while Clark is fifth at 14:20.90. Christopher is looking to be the first YSU repeat winner since Eric Rupe in 2014-15.
60m Hurdles – Luke Laubacher will look to repeat as champion in the event. Last year at Fort Wayne he clocked a time of 8.05 seconds for the victory. He has had a solid season this year running a personal-best time of 7.76 seconds in the event.
Triple Jump - Jakari Lomax goes for his fifth indoor triple jump crown on Sunday. Lomax has a season-best leap of 15.74m which leads the conference.
Long Jump – Tye Hunt is looking for his first Horizon League title. Hunt ranks in the top 10 nationally in the event entering the weekend with a best leap of 8.08m. Stephens-Stewart ranks third, Laubacher fourth and Lomax fifth in the event. Hunt finished third at the HL meet last year and was second in 2022. Lomax was fourth last year and took the crown in 2021.
High Jump – YSU ranks in three of the top four slots entering the competition on Sunday morning. Mason Stephens (2.04m), Connor Durig (2.00m), Lonnie Harper (2.00m), Nathan Leskovac (1.99m) and Zachary Webb (1.98m) are all in the mix. Harper has been a two-time runner-up, including 2023.
Pole Vault – There will be a first-time champion in the event and the Guins have dominated recently winning six straight competitions. Blake Sifferlin (5.36m) and Dorian Chaigneau (5.35m) rank at the top of the league standings. Jack Vecellio and Lukas Lang rank third and fourth respectively. Chaigneau was runner up in 2023 and Sifferlin was fourth.
Shot Put – Dominic Perry looks to be a three-time champion in the event. He won last year and in 2021. He leads the league with a best throw of 18.30m while Ryan Henry is right behind at 18.21m. Coleson Kertesz ranks in the top eight.
Weight Throw – Perry sits third in the league standings while Ryan Tetrick is fifth. Perry won the title in 2022 and was second in 2023.
For news and updates throughout the 2024 Horizon League Indoor Championships, follow @YSUTrackFieldXC on Twitter.
