The Youngstown State men's track and field program eyes their sixth straight outdoor league title as the Horizon League Championships return to Youngstown this Friday through Sunday at the Covelli Sports Complex and YSU Throwing Area.
The men's team enters conference weekend owning eight league titles, all coming since 2014. In meets hosted at YSU, the Guins have won the past five times the event has been at the Covelli Sports Complex.
Horizon League Outdoor Track and Field Championships
Winners returning from last year's dominant performance include Luke Laubacher (110m hurdles), Mason Stephens (high jump) and Hunter Christopher (10,000m). YSU cruised to the team title with 294 points defeating Milwaukee by 102 points.
The three-day meet will begin for the men on Friday with the discus scheduled to start following the women's event which begins at noon. Running events will begin at 7:40 p.m. with preliminary races of the 1500m run. The night is capped off with the 10,000m finals.
Action will resume Saturday at 9 a.m. with the final five events of the decathlon. Field events will begin at 2:30 p.m. with the shot put and long jump. Saturday's running events will feature preliminary heats beginning at 4:15 p.m. with the 110m hurdles.
The triple jump will open up the final day at 10 a.m. on Sunday. Running events are set to get underway with the finals of the 4x100m relay at 12:05 p.m.
Event Breakdown
100m – YSU will be represented by Daimere Stephens-Stewart, Joseph Owusu-Ansah, Jake Mcentyre and Garrett Tiller in the event. Stephens-Stewart ranks second in the league with a time of 10.49 seconds while Owusu-Ansah is fifth at 10.67 seconds. Mcentyre ranks seventh with a 10.72 and Tiller ninth with 10.80. All men will be making their Horizon League Outdoor Championship debuts. YSU last won the event in 2022.
200m – In addition to the four men in the 100m, Luke Laubacher and William Delbaugh will join them in the 200m. Tiller leads YSU with a time of 21.50 seconds, ranking him fifth in the conference. McEntyre, Stephens-Stewart, Laubacher, Owusu-Ansah, and Delbaugh rank sixth, eighth, ninth, 10th, and 11th respectively. Laubacher finished runner-up in the event at the 2024 outdoor championships. YSU last won the event in 2019.
400m - William Delbaugh will be the lone Penguin in the 400m. He has a season-best time of 49.34 that ranks him fifth heading into the championships.
800m – The Guins will be represented in the event with Trenton Shutters and William Hanchosky scheduled to compete. Shutters ranks first in the conference with his 1:50.07 personal best and second-best in school history. Hanchosky sits seventh with his 1:52.91. Shutters placed fifth in 2023, while Hanchosky is coming off fourth-place finishes in 2023 and 2024. Only three Guins have won the race.
1500m – YSU has two of the top six runners in the event in Sage Vavro (third) and Connor Shingleton (sixth). Vavro has a best time of 3:47.93 while Shingleton has a time of 3:51.05. Riley Jackson will also take part in the event. Jackson is an experienced veteran in the 1500m, placing sixth in the 2024 final, and third in 2023.
5,000m – Hunter Christopher, Ryan Meadows, Tobias Jones, Thomas Caputo, Owen Brady, Keegan Barnette, and Riley Jackson are slated to run on Sunday. Christopher, Meadows, and Jones hold the top three spots entering this weekend in the event. Last year, Meadows placed second while Caputo was 11th.  Barnette placed fourth in 2023 at YSU.
10,000m – In Primetime on Friday, Christopher, Meadows, Jones, and Caputo will be in action in the 10,000m run. Meadows was runner-up in 2023 and 2024. Christopher is the defending champion, while Caputo placed ninth.
110m Hurdles – Luke Laubacher is bidding for his fourth consecutive title in the event, which would be a Horizon League first. Laubacher picked up titles in 2023 in Youngstown and both 2024 and 2022 in Oakland. He leads the league with a personal-best time of 13.59 seconds. Micah Mitchell and Michael Ballone rank second and third behind Laubacher. Clancy Chrystal ranks fifth. Mitchell was third in 2024 in his outdoor debut.
400m Hurdles – Freshman Michael Ballone ranks second in the event with his 52.36 personal best. Micah Mitchell ranks third and was third at the 2024 championships. Clancy Chrystal ranks fifth currently and placed fourth in 2024.
Steeplechase – Sage Vavro, Owen Brady, Keegan Barnette and Connor Shingleton will run in the event which caps off Saturday night. Vavro and Brady rank first and second, while Barnette and Shingleton rank fifth and sixth respectively. Barnette was seventh in 2024 and second in 2023. Shingleton placed third in 2024. YSU last won the event in 2015.
Long Jump – Tye Hunt, Luke Laubacher, Daimere Stephens-Stewart, Andrew Frank and Aaron Berardinelli represent a deep YSU jumping group in the event. Hunt ranks first, Laubacher ranks second, Stephens-Stewart sits fifth, Frank is sixth, and Berardinelli is 12th entering the meet. Last year, Laubacher was third and Frank placed fourth at the HL meet in Oakland. Hunt won the event in 2022 and placed fourth in 2023.
Triple Jump – Aaron Berardinelli and Andrew Frank will represent the Penguins in the event. Berardinelli ranks second and Frank seventh in the conference. Jakari Lomax had won the last four triple jump titles.
High Jump – Connor Durig, Noah Crozier, Nathan Leskovac, Mason Stephens and Zachary Webb give YSU a deep high jump lineup. Durig, Crozier, and Leskovac rank second, third, and fourth respectively. Stephens and Webb are tied at sixth. Stephens is the defending champion, while Leskovac placed third and Durig was fifth in 2024.
Pole Vault – YSU has three of the top six ranked athletes in the event. Competing will be Lukas Lang, Ian Quarles, Harrison Spalding. Last year, Lang placed fifth while the other two are making their league debuts. YSU has won the last seven pole vault titles.
Shot Put – Dominic Brown, Jaden Kirkwood, Ryan Tetrick, Coleson Kertesz will represent YSU. They rank second, third, fourth and sixth heading into the meet. Kertesz was sixth in 2024 while Tetrick was eighth. YSU has won the past four titles.
Discus – The same men from the shot put will compete in the discus. Kertesz ranks second, Kirkwood sixth, Brown 14th and Tetrick 15th. Kertesz was runner-up at last year's championships, while Tetrick was 10th.
Hammer Throw – Ryan Tetrick, Coleson Kertesz and Dominic Brown will compete in the hammer on Sunday. Tetrick sits second, Kertesz sixth, and Brown seventh in the conference rankings. Tetrick finished 11th and Kertesz was 12th at the 2024 meet.
4x100m relay – YSU last won the event in 2019. Earlier this season, the Guins set a school record with a time of 40.31 seconds at the Penn Relays. YSU was the runner up last year.
4x400m relay – YSU last won the race in 2004.
Men's Entries
100m - Daimere Stephens-Stewart, Joseph Owusu-Ansah, Jake Mcentyre, Garrett Tiller
200m - Garrett Tiller, Jake Mcentyre, Daimere Stephens-Stewart, Luke Laubacher, Joseph Owusu-Ansah, William Delbaugh
400m - William Delbaugh
800m - Trenton Shutters, William Hanchosky
1500m - Sage Vavro, Connor Shingleton, Riley Jackson
Steeplechase - Sage Vavro, Owen Brady, Keegan Barnette, Connor Shingleton
5000m - Hunter Christopher, Ryan Meadows, Tobias Jones, Thomas Caputo, Owen Brady, Riley Jackson, Keegan Barnette
10,000m - Hunter Christopher, Ryan Meadows, Tobias Jones, Thomas Caputo
110m hurdles - Luke Laubacher, Micah Mitchell, Michael Ballone, Clancy Chrystal
400m hurdles - Michael Ballone, Micah Mitchell, Clancy Chrystal
4x100m relay - Tye Hunt, Luke Laubacher, Jake Mcentyre, Daimere Stephens-Stewart, Garrett Tiller (alternate)
4x400m relay - Trenton Shutters, Clancy Chrystal, Jake Mcentyre, Michael Ballone
High Jump - Connor Durig, Noah Crozier, Nathan Leskovac, Mason Stephens, Zachary Webb
Pole Vault - Lukas Lang, Ian Quarles, Harrison Spalding
Long Jump - Tye Hunt, Luke Laubacher, Daimere Stephens-Stewart, Andrew Frank, Aaron Berardinelli
Triple Jump - Aaron Berardinelli, Andrew Frank
Shot Put - Dominic Brown, Jaden Kirkwood, Ryan Tetrick, Coleson Kertesz
Discus - Coleson Kertesz, Jaden Kirkwood, Dominic Brown, Ryan Tetrick
Hammer - Ryan Tetrick, Coleson Kertesz, Dominic Brown
