The University of Rhode Island men’s track and field team competed in the Atlantic 10 Indoor Track and Field Championship on Friday and Saturday, where the Rams took home first place, making it the sixth-straight conference indoor championship for the team.
URI had seven athletes take home the top spot on the podium in nine different events, making it the most out of any school that took part in the championship.
Third-year distance runner Nick Martin kicked things off on Friday with first place in the 5,000-meter with a time of 13:55.10. Sixth-year Matt Santy also took home gold with a championship-best leap of 7.57 meters in the long jump.
Santy led the way for the Rams, taking three of the top four spots in the event. Fifth-year Joachim Ennoo placed right behind him in second with a jump of 7.37 meters and fifth-year Izzy Henriques-Setho got fourth place.
Fourth-year Nate Field placed third in the weight throw with a toss of 17.15 meters. First-year Tyler Grabinski also marked a fourth-place finish in the pole vault with 4.51 meters.
On Saturday, third-year sprinter Alex Arbogast kept the Rams on top with a time of 6.85 seconds in the 60-meter dash. Second-year Maddox Jordan also took home first place in the 800-meter race with a time of 1:50.43.
Fourth-year Antonio Capalbo added to the Rams’ success with a first-place finish in the 1,000-meter dash with a championship-best time of 2:23.25. Martin also ran in the 3,000-meter and finished with a time of 8:18.74, good for his second first-place finish in the championship.
In the high jump, Santy once again came out on top, clearing 7’ 0.25”. Third-year thrower Theo Puterbaugh took the podium as well with a toss of 54’ 2.75” in the shot put. Finally, fifth-year Wyatt Lamell marked the most points in the heptathlon with 5,139 to propel him into first.
With another first-place finish in the A-10 Indoor Championship, Rhode Island Head Coach Trent Baltzell believes it was unlike any other.
“This one in particular was kind of a dream meet for us,” Baltzell said. “We didn’t hit home runs 100% of the time, but this one was as good as it can get for us, so we feel very accomplished, and we’re super happy for all those guys.”
The Rams raked in awards at the end of the championship. Baltzell was named Coach of the Year, Martin took home Most Outstanding Track Performer, first-year Lucas Andrade won Most Outstanding Rookie Performer and Santy was crowned Most Outstanding Field Performer.
This marks Santy’s second straight year winning the award at the indoor championship; this one holds a heavier weight in his trophy case.
“Coming in this year, it was different,” Santy said. “I hold myself to a very high standard of excellence, and I knew coming into this meet that if I didn’t walk away with it again, I’d never forgive myself. I knew I was the one to beat, so I’m very proud that I got the award.”
Winning in dominant fashion, the morale was kept at a high level throughout the weekend.
“It was insane,” Baltzell said. “The facility is a perfect size for a conference meet like ours, where you can look around and see all the events happening, and when you do that, you’ll notice the pockets of blue everywhere. Our presence there is second to none, and we are the standard and energy bringers in the conference. We just want it more than anyone else.”
Looking to build on their victory, the Rams will head up to Boston to compete in the New England Track & Field Championships on Friday and Saturday.
